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Integration of Education and Care in ECECIntegration at the System Level/ Finland as Example

OECD Early Childhood Education

and Care (ECEC) Network 7 December 2009

Tarja KahiluotoMinisterial Adviser

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health

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Start of compulsory school at the age of 7

Private day care Municipal day care Pre-school education for 6-year-olds

Child home care / parents themselves

Private child-care allowance

Some local authorities havelocal government

supplements

Child home careallowance /

under 3-year-olds

ECEC services

Parents choose

ECEC services

Parents choose

Maternity / paternity/ parentalallowance and leave

Child benefit

Maternity grant /pack

Afternoon care ofschool-aged

children

Birth of a childCare leaves

• Municipalities•Organisations•Parishes

Open ECEC activities

Some local authorities havelocal government

supplements

THE FINNISH ECEC SYSTEM

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2.Child care and early education alternatives

After Parental Leave Parents choose

Care leave &home care allowance

Private careallowance

Municipal day care

Pre-school for 6-year-old children

Morning and afternoon activities for school children

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3. Aspects of Integration in Finland

Policy Goals Administration Legal Framework Delivery of services; access, age 0-6, forms of

services, ratios, qualifications, fees Curriculum Funding

– integration in all aspects

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4. Brief History of ECEC in Finland

Kindergartens already from 1860´s; early education at focus Also creches from 1860; care at focus; for low income

families/single mothers who had to work EDUCARE ideology; socio-pedagogical kindergartens with

Fröbel´s methods of upbringing from 1880´s At the system level the Day Care Act from 1973 integrated the

different forms of kindergarten and creches as day care Day care could be organised in day care centres or as family

day care The Day Care Act obligated the municipalities to provide day

care in accordance with local needs. Early education and care for all in need Women´s participation in the labour market as main force

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5. Focal points in the development

1973 the Day Care Act 1990 the right for day care for all children under 3 1996 the right for all children under school age

– universal services

2000 Pre-School reform – – pre-school education free off charge for 6-year-old children

– From 2001 August every municipality had to offer pre-school education for 6-year-old children, 700 hours/year

2004 Morning and afternoon activities for school children– targeted to children at 1-2 grades and all children with special needs

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6. Policy goals of ECEC services

Social policy – equal opportunities for all children– equal opportunities for women and men– early prevention

Employment policy – both parents work, most full-time; need for good-quality

services Educational policy

– early education of all children

All these tasks are present and relevant;during years the stress has differed between these

policy goals

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7. Goal of ECEC in Finland

An integrated system: care + education

• To provide day care

• To offer goal-oriented

early childhood education

for children

• 0 – 6- year- old - children

• Photo Päivi Lindberg

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State Provincial Offices

8. ECEC Administration and Steering Parliament

Council of State

Services Day Care, Pre-School, School, Open ECEC Services etc.

Municipality

Core Curriculum for Pre-School EducationNational Curriculum Guidelines on ECEC

National Board of Education

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Ministry of Education

National Institute for Health and Welfare

Board on Social Affaires etc.Board on Education Affaires

Principles in Pupils´Morning and Afternoon

Activities

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9. Decentralised style of regulation

Reforming the steering policy in the early 1990s has decreased Government steering by norms and increased the autonomy of the municipalities

Change from steering by norms to steering by information Municipalities are responsible for the implementation of the

services in their own localities 332 municipalities in continental Finland in 2009 Child day care is however, steered by a number of acts and

decrees, eg. - Access to day care is an universal right; regulations on

educational goals, staff-child ratio, staff qualifications and client fees in day care,

Also pre-school education is regulated- Access to pre-school education for 6-year-old children is a right; regulations on staff qualification, recommendation on maximum group size, no client fees

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10. Curriculum Process

First national steering document for ECEC from 1980 – educational goals added to the Day Care Act

Planning documents for early education and pre-school education from the 1990´s

Big curriculum reform started as a result of the Pre-School reform

• National Core Curriculum for Pre-school Education 2000• Pressure to develop and define the pedagogy of younger

children• Government Resolution ConcerningGovernment Resolution Concerning the National Policy

Definition on Early Childhood Education and Care 2002

• National Curriculum Guidelines on ECEC in Finland 2003, revised 2005

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11. National Curriculum Guidelines on ECEC in Finland

Based on National Policy Definitions, 2002 : ’A national plan is needed for steering the content and quality of ECEC’

Made by National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health in an open dialogue

Introduced 2003, reviewed 2005

Framework curriculum

Lays down the objectives and principles for ECEC

Aims to promote the provision of ECEC on equal terms throughout the country

A recommendation for municipalities

Provides the basis for - municipal and unit based curriculum and individual plans

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12. National Curriculum Guidelines on ECEC Well-being of the child at focus Pedagogy: care, education and teaching integrated as a whole What is meaningful and characteristic for children The team of educators – multi-professional communities

• Process aims: Goals to the work of educators and the environment

Content orientations - no performance requirements for children

ECEC partnership: participation and empowerment of families Inclusive perspective to special needs Appreciation of different language and cultural backgrounds Continuity between ECEC and school

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13. National Core Curriculum for Pre-school Education

to improve children's learning conditions to smooth out individual differences in children's

readiness to start school To learn through play Child-centered approach: guiding education Core themes: language and interaction,

mathematics, ethics and philosophy, environmental and natural studies, health, physical and motor development, art and culture

Socio-constructivist learning conception – the active role of the child and child participation is important

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State subsidies for day care services, about 33 % of costs State subsidy for pre-school education 42 % of costs Local tax revenues and Client fees, about 14 % of day care costs One day care place/ child/ year = about 10 000 € Pre-school education / child / year about 5 200 € Total expenditure for day care for 0-6-year-old children and pre-

school education for 6-year-old children is about 1,1 % of GDP

14. Funding ECEC services, 2008

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15. Staff Qualifications in Day care Centres

At least a vocational qualification in the field of social welfare and health care is required

One in three of the staff must

have a higher education level degree

(Bachelor of Education,

Master of Education or

Bachelor of Social Services)

Photo Päivi Lindberg

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16. Staff Qualifications in Family Day care

The family child minder is required to have a suitable education

– Qualification for Family Child Minders, from 2000

– This competence based vocational qualification is recommended

Exception: in group family day care with 3 child minders one minder shall have a suitable vocational qualification.

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17. Staff Qualifications in Pre-School

-         Kindergarten teachers with university qualifications (lower university dergrees, bachelor of Education,

-         Pre-primary school teachers with a higher university degree, about 5 years,

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Day care centres

• one to seven for children 3-6 years (full-time)

• one to thirteen for children 3-6 years (part-time)

• one to four for children under 3 years (full/part time)

Family day care

•one to four, including minders own children

•one part time pre-school or school-aged child

•In pre-school education maximum group-size 20 recommendation

18. Adult-child ratios

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19. Client Fees in Day Care

Fees are based on the size and income of the family Maximum fee 233 €/ child/month Maximum fee for the second child 210 €/month For each additional child 46,6 €/month Free off charge for low income families Client fees cover about 14 % of day care costs All necessary meals are included

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Children in Municipal and Private Day Care, 2008, % of children

Municipal Day Care Private Day Care Total Age

under 1 1,1 0,2 1,2 1 28,7 2,9 31,6 2 47,9 4,3 52,2 3 62,4 6,0 68,4 4 67,4 6,4 73,8 5 71,2 6,2 77,4 6 65,0 4,3 69,4

Total 48,8 4,3 53,1

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Care arrangements of children, 2008Children under 7

Private daycare allowance

4,3 %

Municipal daycare centre

36,4 %

Municipal family daycare

12,4 %

Other10,4 %

Child home care

allowance23,9%

Parenthood allowance

12,6 %

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Care arrangements of children, 2008Children under 3

Child home care allowance

38,6 %

Municipal daycare centre

15,0 %

Other4,1 %

Private daycare

allowance2,5 %

Municipal family daycare

10,9 %Parenthood allowance

29,0 %

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Care arrangements of children, 2008Children under 3-6

Municipal daycare centre

53,0 %

Municipal family daycare

13,5 %

Other15,2 %

Private daycare allowance

5,7 %

Child home care allowance

12,6 %

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Trends in children´s day care places 1970 - 2008

0

50 000

100 000

150 000

200 000

250 000

1970

1972

1974

1976

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

Day care centre Family day care

Number of children