We are HEI Schools

HEI Schools (Helsinki International Schools) was founded in 2015 by education and design leaders in partnership with the University of Helsinki in response to the increasing global demand for Finnish early childhood education. The University’s early education experts are part of our daily working team — bringing the latest innovations in education to everything that we do. Our mission is to offer high-quality early education for as many children and families in the world as possible. Through our work, we want to help every child reach her or his full potential by cultivating their compassion, curiosity and creativity. 

What we offer

HEI Schools Learning Center

Our flagship product, the HEI Schools Learning Center, is a design-focused, service-oriented concept that brings the excellence of Finnish early childhood education and the best of Finnish design to school owners everywhere. From the beginning, our focus has been to incorporate beautiful design with pedagogical excellence, and this commitment is evident from the initial product, branding and educational philosophy all the way down to the learning spaces, fixtures and learning materials. 

HEI Schools Toolkit

In 2020, we developed this program, the HEI Schools Toolkit, as a way to provide materials for pre-existing kindergartens and preschools. We realized that many existing schools were looking for play-based materials but did not always have the resources to build a brand-new center or change brands. Now, they can have the best of both worlds with these digital curriculum materials.

HEI Schools Teacher Diploma

Finally, we created the HEI Schools Teacher Diploma. A core part of the HEI philosophy is the belief that teachers matter. Dedicated teachers and caregivers act as incubators, providing a safe place to foster children’s natural curiosity. With that in mind, we created the Certificate program to provide teachers around the world with the knowledge and tools for developing children’s cognitive, physical and social-emotional skills.