In contrast to all other countries, except Taiwan, preschools in Sweden have been open during the pandemic. In Sweden, the Public Health Agency of Sweden (PHAS) makes recommendations of actions to the government. To some degree, PHAS has the power to ban certain things, e.g., not more than eight people gathering, no visits to homes for the elderly, and closing secondary schools and universities. Swedenâs approach to combat COVID-19 aims to slow down the spread of the virus, not to overwhelm the healthcare system, and to protect the most vulnerable groups in our society. The general policy from PHAS (2020a) in Sweden included:
The decision for preschools in Sweden to remain open was founded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN, 1989), which is national law in Sweden, especially on childrenâs rights and on the principle of the best interests of the child. Policy for children in preschool should follow the general bans and guidelines (PHAS, 2020b). However, there was a lack of a âpreschool perspectiveâ in the guidelines, which caused problems for children, staff, and families. In some of the COVID-19 measures the Ombudsman for Children noted that the incorporation of the UNCRC has had some effect:
The decision by the government to keep pre-schools and primary schools open was based on a child rights perspective, where the right of the child to education and protection as well as the best interest of the child has been in focus. The government has for example expressed that the pre-schools and schools are very important in particular for children in vulnerable situations, since this can be their safe haven as well as offer reliable adult contact outside of their home.
(Ombudsman for Children, 2020, p. 3)
Swedish preschool education is a fundamental right and is regarded as being important for young childrenâs development and well-being. Therefore, at this time it was critical to find a balance between childrenâs needs for preschool and the infection control measures taken (Engdahl, 2020). With preschool education proving not to be a driving force in the spread of infection, and preschool staff not being diagnosed with COVID-19 to a greater extent than other occupational groups, this decision was justified (PHAS, 2020b). However, childrenâs right to preschool education and the need to keep preschools open based on this rationale weighed heavily on many (Van Laere et al., 2021).
At the same time knowledge of the negative consequences of school closures was expanding. For example, loss of learning, higher levels of psychological distress, and poorer physical health of children (PHAS, 2020b). Importantly, these negative consequences were greater with vulnerable children such as children with underlying illnesses, those in lower socioeconomic groups, and those living in social adversity and poverty (PHAS, 2020b). Then in September 2020, the PHAS altered its general guidelines for preschool children stating that they must stay home if unwell. Before this, there had been little discussion about unwell children or staff staying home and not returning until providing a negative test for COVID-19. So, this new directive led to conflicts between parents and staff in determining if a child was unwell or not. In October 2020, the PHAS even ruled that COVID-19-positive parents may leave their children in preschool. This conflict ended in December 2020, when the PHAS changed their recommendations, saying that children with ill siblings or family members should stay at home (Engdahl, 2020).
Although preschools stayed open during these times of changing guidelines from the PHAS there was a decrease in the attendance of children. During the spring of 2020, in many of the preschools in Gothenburg, only 40% of children were present (Engdahl, 2020). Parents with a migrant background often kept their children at home. The lowest attendance rates were during MarchâApril 2021 (26%) and were in areas with low socioeconomic status. A preschool head in Gothenburg shared her concern:
We have received signals from the Social Services that guardians are mentally ill due to the pandemic and that this affects the children. In families where there is violence, mental illness, financial difficulties or abuse, the vulnerability increases when the whole society is worried. Then we at preschool are extra important for these families and especially for the children.
(Engdahl, 2020, p. 20)
To manage preschools during this time much of the teaching and education were conducted outdoors on the premises of the preschool as well as in nearby nature and forests (NAFE, 2021). All excursions to cultural or leisure sites, including theatre, libraries, and swimming halls, were cancelled, and all trips that required public transport were cancelled. In some preschools, the children played âfreelyâ for large parts of the day and in other preschools learning was conducted with an equivalent high-quality education, as previously. This is in keeping with high-quality education in Sweden where the quality of the education depends on the educatorsâ competence and ability to adapt, to rethink, and to restructure the day according to conditions.
Parents were not welcome to enter preschool premises. In most preschools, parents were only allowed to leave and pick-up children outdoors (NAFE, 2021). If the education was scheduled indoors the children were met by staff at the door. Collaboration with guardians during this period changed in its form but not in content. The move to only digital meetings was successful. Introduction, follow-up talks, development talks, closing talks, parent meetings, and parent council meetings were all conducted as per normal but just via digital platforms (Engdahl, 2020).
The introduction of new children and guardians to preschools mainly took place outdoors. Sometimes, new children were invited indoors with their parent (NAFE, 2021). Guardiansâ participation in the daily programme and in routines such as food and rest was cancelled due to the difficulty of keeping distance. Transition routines to preschool class and primary school were changed or cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Whilst all this was going on preschool, staff expressed that they felt they were not being heard in regard to the necessary adaptations they had to make following the Swedish general guidelines and recommendations (Van Leare et al., 2021), for example...
