Early Child Care and Education in Finland

Kaarina Määttä, Satu Uusiautti

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781317980445
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Éducation
• Subtopic: Éducation générale

What is childhood like in Finland? What kind of practical solutions have been created and evaluated that aim at both providing good childhood experiences and supporting children's positive development? What practices aim to prevent child exclusion from regular education and social experiences and to foster children's healthy development in emotional, social, and behavioural terms?

This book considers the reality of childhood in Finland. It discusses the realisation and evaluation of early childhood education and addresses aspects of research and practice concerning children under the age of 10. It examines the growth and development of young children, how learning and teaching are organised, practices of rearing children and the state of child care in Finland.

Contributors represent a variety of universities and sub disciplines in the science of education and focus on perspectives of children's well-being, special viewpoints of early childhood education, care, and research in Finland.

This book was originally published as a special issue of Early Child Development and Care.

Introduction

How do the Finnish family policy and early education system support the well-being, happiness, and success of families and children?

Introduction

What is childhood like in Finland? What kind of practical solutions have been created and evaluated – as well as those under development – that aim at both providing good childhood experiences and supporting children’s positive development? What practices aim to prevent exclusion from regular education and social experiences and to foster children’s healthy development in emotional, social, and behavioural terms? This issue consists of 12 articles that address aspects of research and practice concerning children under the age of 10, including their growth and development, the Organisation of learning and teaching, and practices of rearing and child care in Finland. Authors represent a variety of universities and subdisciplines of the science of education. Reports are organised within the following strands: (1) the realisation and evaluation of early childhood education; (2) perspectives on children’s well-being; and (3) special viewpoints to early childhood education, care, and research in Finland. In order to give international readers an insight of the situation in Finland, we will next provide an introduction about the Finnish family policy and educational system.

Early child care and education in Finland

Contemporary policy and practice emphasise the need to support parenthood and foster teachers’ professionalism and their interaction with those in related professions. These developments pose fascinating challenges within the overall context of a rapidly changing Finnish society. In this article, we provide an introduction on the current state of early childhood and the guidelines of the family policy exercised in Finland: what are the children’s and families’ rights and benefits and how is the well-being of families and children supported by the state in Finland? The rights and benefits form the basis of all child care and education and exemplify the attitude that we have towards families with children in Finland. Furthermore, we address the issue of early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Finland’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) success as it has been the subject of increasing interest during the past few years. All actions should be first and foremost focused on children’s well-being.

The Finnish family policy in a nutshell

In Finland, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (MSAH) is responsible for maintaining and developing family policy and the welfare of children, youth, and families in collaboration with other government ministries. The MSAH’s area of responsibility concerns especially the development of social and health services and income security for families with children. Finnish family policy rests on three pillars: a child-oriented society, thriving families with children, and the prevention of social exclusion (Ministry of Social Affairs and Health [MSAH], 2006).

In services created for families with children, the focus ever since the 1970s has been on developing child-care systems for small children. The MSAH’s family policy places an emphasis on the reconciliation of work and family life in order to improve the opportunities for parents to spend more time with their children and to make it easier for women to go to work. In Finland, both parents of the vast majority of families with children under school age are in full-time employment. Under these circumstances, a reliable, safe, and reasonably priced day-care system is of vital importance (MSAH, 2006).

Finland uses the Nordic welfare state principles and methods, which are based on the state’s responsibility for its citizens. Thus, welfare services, such as ECEC, are arranged and funded by central and local government (Heinämäki, 2008). Consequently, there are a variety of family policy activities, services, and benefits available (see The Social Insurance Institution of Finland, KELA, http://www.kela.fi). Before and after childbirth, mothers (and children) use the services of maternity and child welfare clinics. Mothers start their maternity leave 50 days at the earliest and 30 days at the latest before the expected date of delivery; the leave is funded by KELA to those mothers who live in Finland (covered by the Finnish social security system), whose pregnancy has lasted for at least 154 days, and who have undergone a medical examination at a maternal welfare clinic or at a doctor’s office before the end of the fourth month of pregnancy. Maternity allowance is paid for the first 105 days of entitlement, and the amount depends on a mother’s salary (if she had a job before becoming pregnant).

Parental leave begins after the maternity leave. During parental leave, KELA pays a parental allowance for 158 working days (a little over half a year). The child will be about nine-month old when the entitlement to the parental allowance ends. The parental leave can be taken either by the mother or the father or it can be shared to enable them to take turns in looking after their child. Both parents cannot be on parental leave at the same time (with the exception of the parents of multiple birth children). In 2009, of the total of the parental allowances, 91% was paid to mothers (Official Statistics of Finland, 2009; Statistical Yearbook of the Social Insurance Institution, 2009).

In addition to parental allowances, fathers can take between 1 and 18 days of paternity leave after childbirth in order to look after their child at home together with the mother. The paternity leave can be taken at any time after the birth of a child while maternity or parental allowance is being paid and it can be divided into up to four separate periods. KELA pays the paternity allowance during the leave. In addition to a paternity leave after childbirth, fathers can take a supplementary full month of paternity leave. This is referred to as ‘Daddy Month’. Fathers who take the last 12 working days in the parental allowance period get 1–24 additional working days of leave. The Daddy Month can be between 13 and 36 weekdays (excluding Sundays).

After parental allowance or extended paternity allowance, parents can take a childcare leave with full employment security to look after a child under the age of 3, although both parents cannot be on full-time leave at the same time. In addition, a child benefit is paid for children under 17 who are living in Finland. Its amount depends on the number of eligible children in the household.

Parents can choose to place their child in a day-care centre run by the municipality, look after their child while receiving child home care allowance, or choose a private day-care allowance and make their own arrangements for child care. The allowances are payable from the end of the parental allowance period (or any extended paternity leave) until the time the child starts school. For children within the extended compulsory education system, this right to choose ends at the end of July of the year in which the child reaches the age of 7. Parents (or other guardians) can place their child in a municipal day-care centre or with a family child-care provider.

It is worth remembering that state services are based on taxation. Finland changed over from family-based taxation to individual taxation in 1976. The change to individual taxation and the removal of family-based deductions has made taxation simpler and clearer. In Finland, the shift to individual taxation caused an increase in the number of married women in paid employment (MSAH, 2006).

The Finnish educational system

In Finland, education is a public Service, and general education, vocational education, and higher education are free of charge (see the chart of the Finnish Education System, http://www.minedu.fi/export/sites/
defaulty/OPM/Koulutus/koulutusjaeijestelmae/
liitteet/finnish_education.pdf). Basic education, upper secondary education, and vocational education are financed by the state and local authorities. General education and vocational education are provided by local authorities. Universities are autonomous and financed by the government. Furthermore, there are also liberal studies for adults who are economically supported by the government.

Municipalities (local authorities) are the providers of education. Providers of education and schools set up their own curricula on the basis of the national core curriculum. In curricula, local needs can be taken into consideration. Schools can have their own profiles, such as science or music education (Jakku-Sihvonen & Niemi, 2006).

According to the Finnish Education Act (628/1998), all children in Finland have to go to school at the age of 7. Primary school begins at the beginning of the autumn semester. Basic education lasts nine years. At the comprehensive schools, classroom teachers are mainly responsible for classes 1–6, and most of the subjects are taught by subject teachers in grades 7–9 (Jakku-Sihvonen & Niemi, 2007).

Preschool education starts at the age of 6. Finnish children have the right to participate in voluntary and free preschool education during the year preceding compulsory education, and nearly all six-year-old children (96% of this age group; see Eurydice, 2009) do so. In Finland, children go to day care before going to school, and they attend actual preschool education for one year, which consists of learning social skills and the basics of reading and writing.

Early childhood and preschool education and care in Finland

Day-care services

Day-care services are open to every child – in other words, all children below school age are entitled to receive municipal day care. Day-care costs are calculated according to the family size and income and range between €23 and €254 a month (MSAH). There are also private day-care services available for which the family can have governmental private day-care allowance to cover part of the costs (Heinämäki, 2008). The above-mentioned services are important as the female labour force participation in Finland is 72% of women (15–64 years), only 18.2% of whom are in part-time employment. Furthermore, the labour force participation rate of women with a child or children under six years is 49.6% of whom 8% work part time (OECD, 2006).

Day-care staff

The official documents of early childhood education (MSAH, 2002; Official Statistics of Finland, 2009) define early childhood education as an educational interaction that takes place within small children’s living surroundings and is aimed at promoting children’s balanced and healthy growth, development, and learning. Early education is organised and controlled by society and comprises the wholeness of care, education, and teaching (Act on Children’s Day Care, 36/1973, 304/1983).

Adult–child ratios in day-care services are the following: one adult per seven children, aged between three and six years; one adult per four children up to the age of 3. In day-care centres, all staff must have at least secondary-level education from the field and one-third of staff must have a post-secondary-level university degree (i.e. Bachelor of Education, Master of Education, Bachelor of Social Sciences) (Heinämäki, 2008).

Basically, the aim of kindergarten teacher education in Finnish universities is to educate experts in early education. The degree qualifies graduates to work both as kindergarten teachers in children’s day-care and pre-primary education as well as in various professions requiring expertise in early education, such as posts in public administration, which may require an applicable higher education degree. During their studies, students will become familiar with, among other things, childhood and the growth of children, the development of personality and learning, and the aims, content, and methods of public early and pre-primary education. In addition, students will gain competence in the analysis, critical evaluation, and research-based evaluation of their own work (Happo, Määttä, & Uusiautti, 2012, this special issue).

Day care and Finnish PISA success

The question whether there is a connection between Finland’s PISA success and early childhood education is interesting. Although Finland’s PISA success and its connection to early childhood education is less studied, some features can perhaps be named as effective behind the success. Finnish early education typifies the EDUCARE model, which means the interconnectedness of education and care as well as learning as the foundation of pedagogical action. This pedagogical action has been connected to full-time early education and has been recognised and commended in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reports (Kronqvist & Kumpulainen, 2011).

Finland, like other Nordic countries, differs from most countries participating in PISA in the pace in which children enter academic life. Finnish children begin school only the year they turn seven, and there is very little stress placed on academics in a child’s life before that (Kupiainen, Hautamäki, & Katjalainen, 2009; see also Kiiveri & Määttä, 2011). The one-year preschool or kindergarten dass for six-year-olds, established in 1998 to help transition from home or day care to school, is attended by nearly the whole age cohort. The curriculum for all early education stresses the salient role of play in fostering children’s physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development, with even the preschool year aimed at just preparing children for reading and mathematics through age-appropriate preparatory activities instead of out-right teaching (Kupiainen et al., 2009; see also Turunen, 2012, this special issue).

The preschool year, basic education, and both strands of upper secondary education are free of charge for everyone, and in all levels, except general upper secondary education, text books and other requisites are also provided by the school. Daily school meals are provided for all in both basic and upper secondary schools without charge. Children have the right to attend their geographically nearest basic school but can also apply for a place in any other school with vacant places in their municipality (Kupiainen et al., 2009).

In pre-primary and basic education, pupils are entitled to any welfare services they might need for full engagement in their respective educational programmes, including general health and dental care for all students. All pupils are also entitled to special education when necessary. Before school age and especially during the lower grades, at-risk children and students are screened for possible learning problems to allow for early intervention. Any Student with learning or adjustment problems is entitled to remedial teaching. When feasible, this is realised by inclusion but can also be arranged through a special education dass in regular schools or in a school for students with special needs. An individual teaching and learning plan is made for each Student with special needs (Kupiainen et al., 2009).

Providing all students with equal educational opportunities and removing obstacles to learning, especially among the least successful students, have been the leading principles in Finnish educational policy since the twentieth Century. In light of the PISA findings, Finland seems to have managed extraordinarily well in combining these two principles – although there are still issues to be reconsidered and improved, for example, concerning education for national minorities (see also Keskitalo, Määttä, & Uusiautti, 2012, this sp...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Citation Information
• Notes on Contributors
• 1. Introduction: How do the Finnish family policy and early education system support the well-being, happiness, and success of families and children?
• Part I: The realisation and evaluation of early childhood education in Finland
• Part II: Perspectives on children’s well-being
• Part III: Special viewpoints on early childhood education, care, and research in Finland
• Index