Jenni Salminen,
Νηπιαγωγός, ΜΑ ECEC, υποψήφια διδάκτωρ University of Jyväskylä, Φινλανδία
Early Childhood Education and Care in Finland: Curriculum, Quality, and Current Challenges. (Προσχολική Εκπαίδευση και Φροντίδα στην Φινλανδία: αναλυτικό πρόγραμμα, ποιότητα, και σημερινές προκλήσεις)
This presentation will focus on the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) system in Finland which covers both the child care arrangements offered to the families and the goal-oriented early childhood education for children. In particular, this presentation emphasizes the pedagogy provided by educated teachers, for children up to six-years of age in day care centres, and specific pre-school education provided for 6-year-olds in preschool groups.
This presentation is divided into three thematic sections. First, the Finnish ECEC system is described in general and the different public early education services provided for families are being introduced. The framework for the implementation of the ECEC in Finland is provided by the legislation (Children’s Day Care Act and Decree, 1973) and by the National Curriculum Guidelines on Early Childhood education and Care (2003) as well as by the Core Curriculum for the Preschool Education (2010). The second section of this presentation will connect the legislation and educational guidelines to practices in the ECEC system, both in in day care centers and preschool classrooms. Practical examples will be utilized to introduce how curricula are transferred from national guidelines to local and unit-specific curricula, and further into practice through pedagogy. In addition, notions will be made on what issues are considered to be essential for the quality in the Finnish ECEC. For example, the importance of teacher education is being discussed as one of the key-components for the provision of high-quality in ECEC services.
Third and final section of the presentation addresses the imminent challenges that concern the ECEC in Finland. The 40 year old Children’s Day Care Act (1973) will soon be replaced with the new law (coming in force in 2015). Currently the economic setbacks are bringing on pressures to cut expenses also in educational sector, and these demands are further reflected to preparing the new law. So far the strength of the Finnish ECEC has been the highly educated staff and good child-staff ratio, but unfortunately there are reasons to expect that the new law, prepared during the time of economic challenges, may not be able to maintain the situation.
