Early Childhood Education and
Care in Finland
Janniina Elo
Project coordinator, PhD Student
University of Tampere
ECEC in Finland
every child’s subjective right
=
Access to child care and
kindergarten is for every child
Client Fees in ECE
• Are based on the size and income of the family
• Max. fee 250 €/ child/month
• Free of charge for low income families
• Client fees cover about 15 % of child care costs
Child - adult ratios in ECE
* 1 adult to 7 children for 3-6
year old children in child care centres.
* 1 to 4 children for children
under 3 years
* 1 to 13 children in part-time kindergarten
* 1 to 4 in family day care
Teachers’ qualifications:
In child care:
 Teachers have either Bachelor’s degree (3 yrs) from the
university or degree from polytechnical school (3 yrs)
 The other staff is required to have at least a secondary
level degree in education
In kindergarten / pre-primary:
 Bachelor’s or Master degree
Primary school teacher
 Master’s Degree (5 yrs)
NATIONAL CURRICULUM GUIDELINES ON EARLY
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE IN FINLAND
The National Curriculum Guidelines serves as a basis for local municipal - curricula and for the curricula implemented in the
child care centres and other forms of ECEC, such as family day
care.
Aims to promote the provision and the quality
of ECEC on equal terms throughout the country
Steers the planning, development,
and the evaluation
of the content of the activities
Pedagogy in practice
 Parents and teachers in co-operation draw up an
educational plan for every single child according to
child’s needs, interests and his developmental
challenges
 Teacher supports and supervises child’s learning and
individual development in a child care group
”In ECEC, it is important to underline the intrinsic
value of childhood, to foster childhood,
and to help the child to develop as a human being.”
Finnish ECEC is based on:
Teacher’s pedagogical awareness
Parent teacher partnership
Joy of learning connected to children’s everyday life
Children as meaning makers
Child-centered pedagogy
Play & peer interaction
Leadership and quality assessment
”Children play for the sake of playing, and at best, play can give them deep
satisfaction. Although children do not play in order to learn, they learn through play.”
Evaluating the Quality of the
Child Care in Finland
What parents and teachers
emphasize in ECEC?
(Hujala, Fonsén, & Elo 2012)
Assessments by quality factors
Thank you for your interest!
Janniina.elo@uta.fi