MTÜ Hea Algus

What MTÜ Hea Algus does

MTÜ Hea Algus is an Estonian non-profit association (mittetulundusühing, reg nr 80072462) founded in 1994 under the Open Estonia Fund initiative and independently registered in 1996. Headquartered at Veski 42, Tartu, the organization operates as a training, consulting, and competence center promoting child-centered educational methodology across Estonia, with the explicit mission of moving toward a more balanced and open society through dissemination of child-centered thinking in education.

Its core service offering is delivered through two flagship programs: the Hea Alguse Koolituskeskus (HAKK) Training Center, established in 2000 with an Estonian Ministry of Education and Research approved curriculum (MTT nr 163677), provides continuing education for kindergarten and school teachers grounded in the ISSA (International Step by Step Association) international teaching standards; and the Pereprogramm (Family Program), launched in 1997, provides counseling, home visits, school preparation support, and parent training for families with children aged 0-7 years. The organization also produces methodological publications, including the 'Lapsekeskne demokraatlik lasteaed' handbook, and rents physical event spaces at its Tartu center.

Revenue is generated through a mix of paid teacher training courses (~180-200 EUR per multi-day course), publication sales (handbooks at 25-34.90 EUR), membership fees (10 EUR/year for ~70 members), room rental, and most significantly, project-based grants from public and NGO funders including Erasmus+, EEA/Norway Grants, KÜSK, ESF, and the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research. Target customers include kindergarten and primary school teachers, school leaders, education and social-sector specialists, and families with young children — primarily in Estonia, with emerging international cooperation via Erasmus+ partnerships with Slovenia, Croatia, and Slovakia (2023-2026).

Name

MTÜ Hea Algus

Legal name

MTÜ Hea Algus

Website

https://heaalgus.ee

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Short description

MTÜ Hea Algus is an Estonian non-profit association founded in 1994, offering accredited teacher training, family counseling, and child-centered educational methodology across Estonia through its licensed Training Center and Family Program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education and Training Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAJAFAB

Instructional Delivery & Pedagogy (School-Led)

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment (School-Delivered)

SECONDARYEDAJAFAD

Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping (State/National)

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment (School-Delivered)

Keywords

• Child-centered education
• Teacher training services
• Early childhood education
• Family support programs
• Educational methodology consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tartu

HQ country

Estonia

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Training services: Revenue from teacher training courses offered by Hea Alguse Koolituskeskus. Courses include 'Lapsekeskne metoodika lasteaias' (60 hours), 'Mäng ja õppimine' (30 hours), and specialized courses for teaching assistants.
2. Room rental: Rental of meeting rooms, workshops, seminars, and events (including children's events) at MTÜ Hea Algus center, equipped with presentation technology.
3. Publication sales: Sale of training handbooks and materials. The 'Lapsekeskne demokraatlik lasteaed' (Child-Centered Democratic Kindergarten) handbook priced at 34.90€ per copy, with discounts for bulk orders (3+ at 29.90€, 5+ at 25€).
4. Membership fees: Annual membership fee of 10 EUR per member.
5. Project grants and donations: Funding from various programs including Erasmus+, ESF (European Social Fund), EEA Grants, Norway Grants, KÜSK (Kodanikuühiskonna Sihtkapital), Hasartmängumaksu Nõukogu, and individual donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MTÜ Hea Algus is an Estonian non-profit organization that delivers accredited teacher training courses, parent counseling, and methodological materials centered on child-centered education. It operates the Hea Alguse Koolituskeskus (Training Center), which runs Ministry-approved continuing education curricula for kindergarten and school teachers, alongside the Pereprogramm (Family Program) that supports families with children aged 0-7. The organization also develops publications, e-books, and runs projects under EEA Grants, ESF, and Erasmus+ programs.

Product overview

MTÜ Hea Algus operates as a child-centered education and training NGO offering a portfolio of services centered around its Training Center (Hea Alguse Koolituskeskus) and Family Program (Pereprogramm). The Training Center provides accredited courses for kindergarten and school teachers using the Ministry-approved 'Child-centered methodology' curriculum, while the Family Program offers counseling, home visits, and parent training for families with young children. Additional offerings include publications such as the 'Kindergarten Teacher's Handbook' and e-books, as well as room rental services for educational events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hea Alguse Koolituskeskus (HAKK): Official training center established in 2000, providing continuing education for kindergarten and school teachers with an approved curriculum 'Child-Centered Methodology in Kindergarten and School' (MTT nr 163677).
• Pereprogramm

Products and services

• Hea Alguse Koolituskeskus (HAKK) - Training Center Continuing education and accredited training courses for kindergarten and school teachers in Estonia, based on the Ministry-approved 'Child-centered methodology in kindergarten and school' curriculum and ISSA international teaching standards. Course offerings include 'Lapsekeskne metoodika lasteaias' (60 hours), 'Mäng ja õppimine' (30 hours), and specialized courses for teaching assistants.
• Pereprogramm (Family Program) Family support program offering parent counseling, home visits, school preparation, group activities, and parent training for families with children aged 0-7 years in Tartu city and county.
• Lapsekeskne demokraatlik lasteaed (Handbook for Kindergarten Teachers) Print handbook for kindergarten teachers containing long-term work experience, ideas, and examples of good practices for early childhood education, sold at 34.90 EUR per copy with bulk discounts.
• Hea Alguse e-raamat (E-book) Electronic publication accessible online via the Calameo reading platform, providing digital methodological content for educators.
• HEAD HARIDUST LUUES Publication Publication produced in 2016 under the EEA Grants 'Child in Safe Educational System' project containing ideas, thoughts, and recipes for inclusive education.
• Ruumide rent (Room Rental) Rental of meeting rooms, workshops, seminars, and event spaces at the Hea Algus center in Tartu, equipped with presentation technology. Includes a large room for up to 30 people and a children's room for up to 12 children.

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kõrveküla LasteaedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Pilot partner in the Erasmus+ 'Soft Skills for Quality Education' project. Represents Estonia alongside MTÜ Hea Algus. Cooperates in focus group research, training activities, and learning visits.
• Tartu KaubamajaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2010Cooperation project 'Emade Hommik' (Mothers' Morning) since January 2010. Provides venue (Dedi café, III floor) and special offers for parent events.
• ISSA – International Step by Step AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Founding member since 1999. ISSA is an international network whose members' activities aim to promote democratic principles through kindergarten and school program development. MTÜ Hea Algus participates in ISSA's Peer Learning Activities program and uses ISSA's 'Competent Educators of the 21st Century' teaching standards.
• MTÜ PusaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in 'Laps turvalises haridussüsteemis: kaasamine ja sekkumine kõigi laste huvides'. MTÜ Pusa (established 2012) promotes children's and youth development through improving accessibility of support services.
• Latvian Parents AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Nordplus 'Parent-To-Parent' project (2012-2013) on parent education and cooperation. Latvia served as lead country.
• Lithuanian Conflict Prevention AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Nordplus 'Parent-To-Parent' project (2012-2013) on parent education and cooperation alongside Latvian partner.
• Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonor Programme Partner (DPP) in EEA Grants 'Risk Children and Youth' program. Cooperated in the 'Laps turvalises haridussüsteemis' project.
• Estonian Ministry of Education and ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in developing business plan for Open Family Center. Collaborates on education policy initiatives.
• Tartu City Government Social Services DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in developing business plan for Open Family Center in Tartu.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Save the Children: Global NGO with significant early childhood education, teacher training, and family support programming across more than 100 countries. Operates at a much larger scale but engages the same child-centered, inclusive-education methodology space that Hea Algus serves in Estonia.
• EuroChild: European network promoting children's rights and well-being, including through education policy advocacy across EU member states. Comparable as a pan-European network operating in adjacent child-welfare and education territory with similar NGO/grant-funding dynamics.
• NAEYC - National Association for the Education of Young Children: The dominant US professional association for early childhood educators, setting widely adopted standards (Developmentally Appropriate Practice) and offering accreditation. Much larger than Hea Algus but pursues the same broad mission of professionalizing child-centered early childhood practice.

Emerging players

• People in Need: Czech-based NGO running education programs including early childhood and teacher training in transition economies. Comparable as a Central European NGO with a portfolio of education-focused grant-funded projects targeting similar institutional and family audiences.

Direct peers

• ISSA - International Step by Step Association: The international network MTÜ Hea Algus co-founded in 1999. ISSA coordinates child-centered pedagogy programs across multiple countries and sets the 'Competent Educators of the 21st Century' standards Hea Algus implements — directly comparable as the umbrella network for the same methodology.
• Step by Step International (SSI): Founded by the Open Society Foundations to expand the Step by Step child-centered pedagogy model across Central and Eastern Europe. Operates the same ISSA-aligned methodology that Hea Algus delivers, training teachers and supporting kindergartens across multiple countries.
• Step by Step Foundation (Hungary): Hungarian ISSA member organization promoting the same Step by Step child-centered pedagogy in kindergartens and schools. Directly comparable as a country-level NGO delivering ISSA-aligned teacher training, family programs, and methodology materials.

Regional players

• Innove Foundation (Estonia): Estonian government-affiliated foundation implementing EU education programs and managing ESF teacher professional development initiatives. Operates in the same Estonian teacher-training market that Hea Algus serves, sometimes as a project partner and sometimes as a channel for the same target audiences.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HeaAlgus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about MTÜ Hea Algus