History of Association
The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture issued a Programme for Children’s Culture (2003–2007), resulting in the establishment of the Taikalamppu network of cultural centres for children. The Ministry’s ambition was to develop art and culture services for children and adolescents nationwide by supporting the operation of existing cultural centres for children and by promoting the introduction of services in the areas where there had previously been none.
The Ministry of Education and Culture selected seven cultural centres for children in the first Taikalamppu period (2003–2005), and the network expanded during the next two periods (2006–2008 and 2009–2013) so that in the end there were eleven members in the network. The Ministry set specific goals for development for the members in the network, targeting various forms of operation and art fields. The cultural centres in the network were granted a special state subsidy.
The Association of Cultural Centres for Children in Finland was established on the foundation laid by the Taikalamppu network in 2015. There were 14 founding members. The amount of members has doubled in two years, and in 2017 the Association has 27 cultural centres for children as its members. Some of the members get a state subsidy, the criteria of which are determined by the Ministry of Education and Culture. Membership in the Association is not dependent on the state subsidy but, instead, the Association accepts its members independently on the basis of their application.
The Ministry of Education and Culture provides the funding for the Association’s ordinary functions.
