In Sweden - Education - Education system - Pre-school education

 

PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION

Day-nurseries and kindergarten have existed since the 19th century, but it was not until after 1970 that child care became particularly wide-spread. As one of the cornerstones of the Swedish welfare system and family policy, there has been a rapid evolution since then. The number of children taking part in such activities has increased, in 1997 over 70 per cent of all children in the ages of 1-5 took part, and there has been a shifting in view - from child care to pre-school as the first step in the educational system for children and young people.

The pre-school, the school and the child care for schoolaged children has gradually been closer associated to each other. The responsibility for pre-school education was in 1996 transferred from the Ministry for Social Affairs to the Ministry of Education and Science and in 1998 the National Agency for Education became the national authority responsible for pre-school activities. The pedagogical role of the pre-school was further clarified by being given its own curriculum in August 1998.

Under the Education Act, municipalities are required to provide pre-school activities (public or private) for children 1-5 years old, whose parents are gainfully employed or pursuing studies, or for children requiring special support. Pre-schools are open to all children, the attendance of children is however voluntary.

The aims of pre-school activities are to stimulate the child’s development and contribute to good conditions for their growth and learning. Children should receive the special support they need. Activities should be organised in conjuction with parents and should make it easier for them to combine work or studying with parenthood.

As a complement to pre-schools (förskola), child care is also carried out by childminders (employed by the municipalities) in the minders’ own homes (familjedaghem) or in open pre-schools (öppen förskola) a drop-in form of activity for social and educational stimulus.

Organisation

Public pre-school is jointly financed by the municipal budget (consisting of state grants and local tax revenues) and parental fees. Pre-school for handicapped children is free of charge to parents, for up to 15 hours a week or 525 hours a year.

Most pre-schools are run by municipalities. However, the number of private pre-schools (with municipal funding support) have increased steadily over the last five years. In 1996 they accounted for 12 per cent of all pre-schools. Parental co-operatives are the commonest form of private pre-schools.

Pre-schools are usually open Monday to Friday, all year round. Many pre-schools are open from 6.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. The opening hours are however varying between institutions, depending among other things on the need of the child and the working hours of the parents. Children attend the activities full-time or part-time.

All pre-schools are co-educational. A pre-school often consists of two to five different group, of which the number of children varies. In 1997 there were on an average 17 children per group. In pre-schools, mixed ages is the predominant form of grouping. There are toddlers’ groups for children up to three years old, mixed groups (normally 3-5 years old) and sibling groups (1-5 years old). There are also groups for children in the same age.

Curriculum/Assessment

As from 1 August 1998, the aims and responsibilities of the pre-school are set out in a national curriculum, decided by the Government. Earlier, the aims and responsibilities were set out in a pedagogical programme issued by the National Board of Health and Welfare. The programme took the form of guidelines.

The educational principles of the curriculum are based around the idea that welfare and education are linked. Care, nurturing and learning should form a coherent whole. Play in natural contexts is underlined as a a key factor for learning. The activities, which should be planned in close co-operation with the parents, should be based largely on the children’s background, their interests, previous experiences and special needs. The group itself is an important resource given that children learn from one another and develop responsibility and consideration.

There is no syllabus and neither is there any regulation as to how hours should be allocated to its various activities.

The curriculum does not lay down the specific means by which goals are to be attained - this is determined by those working in the pre-school. Some pre-schools offer educational methods of their own, e.g. Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Waldorf etc.

There is no evaluation of the outcome of the individual child in pre-school. Grades and assessments are not issued. A regular dialogue should be carried out between the child’s parents and the personnel of the pre-school on the well-being, development and learning of the child.

Teachers

All staff in municipal institutions are municipal employees. Pre-schools are staffed by pre-school teachers and child care attendants.

The director or supervisor of the pre-school is responsible for the regular planning of the centre’s work. The staff works in teams where the particular knowledge and competence of each member of staff can be utilised to fulfil the objectives of the curricula. Parents are encouraged to participate in the activities whenever possible.

The training course for pre-school teachers takes place at universities and university colleges. The study programme have a three year duration. It leads to a University Diploma in Child and Youth Training. Most child care attendants have been trained in a 3 year programme at the upper secondary school. The vast majority of family child minders in family day care have followed an introductory course of 90–100 hours or a lengthier training, such as the child care attendant’s course.

Responsibility for in-service training rests with the municipalities. The availability and content of such training can vary from one area to another. In some places, pre-school teachers and school teachers are trained together.

Statistics

In 1998, there were around 338,000 children enrolled in pre-schools and 61,000 children enrolled in family day care centres. There were around 9,000 pre-schools. There were also around 1,000 open pre-schools.

In 1997, the number of children per annual employee in pre-school was 5.7 and there were on average 17 children per group in pre-schools. Around 72 per cent of all children aged 1-5 were enrolled in pre-school activities in 1997. The number employed within pre-school was corresponding to around 63,600 annual workers in 1997. In addition there were 14,600 child minders.

For data from 1997, the source is the National Agency for Education, report 152 "Child Care Statistics 1998". For data from 1998, the source is report 167 "Child Care and School Statistics 1999:2"

 

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