Lapsed Õue MTÜ

What Lapsed Õue MTÜ does

MTÜ Lapsed Õue is an Estonian non-profit association (mittetulundusühing) founded in Tartu that operates outdoor early childhood education and youth play services. The organization runs Estonia's first outdoor kindergarten (õuelasteaed), established in 2014, providing full-day nature-based childcare for preschool children with all-weather outdoor programming rooted in Scandinavian forest/outdoor kindergarten pedagogy (discovery-based learning, interest-led and child-driven flow learning). Since 2020 it has extended programming to school-age children (7-14) and opened Estonia's first junkyard/adventure playground (kolahoov) in Tartu in summer 2022, an open-air playscape built from loose materials (wood, bricks, tires, rope, tools) where children engage in autonomous free play and supervised building.

The organization supplements direct service delivery with a formalized training and capacity-building program. In 2023 it hosted the first Baltic junkyard playground training in Tartu, co-funded by Erasmus+ and delivered with international trainers from Kolle 37 (Berlin) and Pop Up Adventure Play (UK), targeting youth workers, activity leaders, and outdoor space designers from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Its methodology is disseminated through an extensive blog (õuehoiu lood), a community-of-practice approach, and policy advocacy including a 2023 roundtable at Tartu Loodusmaja with Estonian public-sector stakeholders.

As a non-profit, MTÜ Lapsed Õue has no commercial pricing model. Revenue is composed of EU grants (Erasmus+ KA2 Small-scale Partnership 2021-2023), national/regional grants (Nordic Council of Ministers 2014-2016, Kodanikuühiskonna Sihtkapital/Siseministeerium 2017), donations (LHV bank account), in-kind contributions (e.g., Lasita Maja building materials), and parent fees for the outdoor kindergarten. Headcount is 1-10 and operating footprint is primarily Tartu, with explicit Baltic-wide reach through the Erasmus+ project. There is no equity ownership, parent company, or commercial distribution channel.

Name

Lapsed Õue MTÜ

Legal name

MTÜ Lapsed Õue

Website

https://lapsedoue.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MTÜ Lapsed Õue is a Tartu-based Estonian non-profit operating the country's first outdoor kindergarten (since 2014) and first junkyard/adventure playground (since 2022), serving local families with children aged 0-14 and training Baltic youth workers in nature-based outdoor play pedagogy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Early Childhood Education

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor/Nature/Forest Preschools (EDACABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outdoor / Nature-Based Childcare Centers (EDACAAAO), Extended Day Programs at Preschools & Childcare Centers (EDACAHAB)

Keywords

• Outdoor kindergarten services
• Adventure playground operations
• Nature-based early education
• Outdoor learning training
• Child-led free play

Headquarters

HQ city

Tartu

HQ country

Estonia

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lapsed Õue MTÜ operates Estonia's first outdoor kindergarten (õuelasteaed), providing full-day nature-based childcare and free-play-based early education for preschool children. It also runs Estonia's first junkyard/adventure playground (kolahoov) for school-age children, offering open-ended building and autonomous play with loose materials. The NGO supplements these services with training programs and advocacy promoting outdoor learning and free play.

Product overview

Lapsed Õue MTÜ is an Estonian NGO that operates two core programs: an outdoor kindergarten (õuelasteaed) established in 2014 as Estonia's first, providing full-day nature-based childcare emphasizing free play and outdoor learning in all weather; and an adventure/junkyard playground (kolahoov) launched in 2022 as Estonia's first, offering school-age children open-ended building and play opportunities using loose materials. The organization supplements these with professional training programs for youth workers and educators, and conducts advocacy to promote outdoor play concepts across Estonian society. The organization is funded through parent fees, donations, and EU grants (Erasmus+).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Õuelasteaed (Outdoor Kindergarten) Full-day outdoor kindergarten service for preschool-age children, offering nature-based learning, unstructured free play, and physical activity in all weather conditions. Estonia's first outdoor kindergarten, established in 2014. The service is for families seeking alternative, nature-connected early childhood education.
• Kolahoov (Adventure/Junkyard Playground) Open-air playscape for school-age children (7-14) offering building, creating, and autonomous free play using loose materials such as wood, bricks, tires, rope, paint, hammers, nails, saws, fabric, netting, and plastic pipes. Operates seasonally for after-school activities, open days, camps, and visitor tours. Estonia's first such playground, located in Tartu.
• Junkyard Playground Training Programs Professional development and capacity-building courses on building, designing, and operating adventure/junkyard playgrounds, delivered to youth workers, educators, activity leaders, and outdoor space designers. The 2023 training was co-funded by the EU Erasmus+ programme and featured international trainers from Kolle 37 (Berlin) and Pop Up Adventure Play (UK).

Quantifiable outcome

• Children who attend outdoor kindergartens show better school readiness, motivation, concentration, social competencies, motor skills, and artistic abilities compared to peers (based on German research by P. Häfner)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and supporting.

• MTÜ Supilinna SeltsminorOthersCommunity organization listed as a friend and supporter of MTÜ Lapsed Õue. Supilinna Selts is a local community association in Tartu's Supilinna district, supporting neighborhood initiatives and community building.
• MTÜ Emajõe LodjaseltsminorOthersCommunity organization listed as a friend and supporter. Emajõe Lodjaselts is a community association related to the Emajõgi riverboat in Tartu, supporting river-related community activities.
• Jaunatne Smaidam (Latvia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLatvian partner in the Erasmus+ KA2 junkyard playground project (2021-1-EE01-KA210-YOU-000030465). Co-organized the international training event in August 2023 in Tartu with youth workers from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Contributes to cross-Baltic network development.
• VoogminorOthersWebsite platform provider used to create and host the organization's website. Listed as 'Make a website' supporter at the bottom of pages.
• Jérôme Fink (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead trainer for the 2023 junkyard playground training. Has over 13 years of experience as a playworker at Kolle 37 junkyard playground in Berlin. Provided practical expertise on building and maintaining junkyard playgrounds.
• Suzanna Law (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrainer for the 2023 program. Mobile playworker, adventure playground trainer, and founder of Pop Up Adventure Play NGO (USA/UK). Introduced the role of playworker, free play and game theory.
• Charlie Moreno-Romero (Colombia)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnthropologist and democratic education researcher. Contributed to the 2023 training by opening up the subject of democratic education and the role that junkyard playgrounds play in democracy.
• STEP-programme (Youth Employment Programme, Estonia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTEP is a youth employment program in Estonia. Ten youth with backgrounds in law-related issues from STEP-programme participated in the 2022 construction camp for Estonia's first junkyard playground, working with art school students and the NGO community.
• Pallas Art School (Tartu)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPallas University of Arts sculpture students participated in the 2022 construction camp for Estonia's first junkyard playground, collaborating with STEP-programme youth and the NGO community.
• AS Lasita MajaminorOthersDonated production waste materials (surplus building materials) to the NGO for children's fort and outdoor building activities at the outdoor kindergarten.

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cedarsong Nature School: US-based forest kindergarten pioneer founded by Erin Kenny, originator of the "Cedarsong method" of nature-based early childhood education cited directly by Lapsed Õue in its pedagogy.
• I Ur och Skur: "Rain or Shine" Swedish preschool network operating outdoor kindergartens all year round; cited by Lapsed Õue as a foundational model for Estonia's first outdoor kindergarten.
• Little Forest Folk: UK-based forest kindergarten operator running multiple outdoor nursery sites for 2-5 year olds using the Scandinavian model; comparable as a multi-site outdoor preschool provider.
• Pop Up Adventure Play: UK- and US-based NGO founded by Suzanna Law that provides adventure playground training, playworker education, and free play advocacy worldwide; directly co-trained Lapsed Õue and shares the same playwork methodology.
• Friluftsbarnehage (Norwegian outdoor kindergartens): Norwegian outdoor kindergarten network referenced by Lapsed Õue as the Scandinavian origin of its pedagogy; provides full-day nature-based care for preschool children, mirroring the õuelasteaed model.
• Kolle 37: Kolle 37 is a Berlin-based junkyard/adventure playground run by experienced playworkers; it is the closest operational analogue to Lapsed Õue's kolahoov and has directly trained the Estonian team through Jérome Fink.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lapsedoue

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lapsed Õue MTÜ