Introduction to Finnish Early Childhood Education

Name: Introduction to Finnish Early Childhood Education
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The concept, purpose and mission of the Finnish early childhood education system (ECEC)

Created byLearning Scoop

Last updated 12/2021

English

What you'll learn

Learn the Concept, Purpose and Mission of the Finnish Early Childhood Education system (ECEC)
You will gain a profound perspective into comparing ECEC in Finland with your respective location, and identify the strengths and development areas in your work
You will be prepared to continue the exploration of the research-based Finnish ECEC approaches and practices.
You gain fundamental insights into the Finnish Early Childhood Education System (ECEC)

Course content

1 section • 9 lectures • 40m total length

Introduction to the course2:47
Welcome to the course!
Background information on Early childhood education and care in Finland5:12
In Finland, early childhood education and care is considered the right of all children under school age. There is continuity of vision and action between ECEC, pre-primary education, and basic education in order to support the child’s development in a coherent and systematic way. Finnish ECEC has its roots in science. Different perspectives complement each other and contribute to meaningful ECEC activity.
The Finnish EDUCARE model and everyday pedagogy6:25
Educare model is defined as an integrated approach to education, care, and teaching with a pedagogical emphasis. All three elements form a coherent entity. Educare model promotes growth, health, learning and wellbeing of the whole child. The integrated approach to care, education and teaching is expressed through everyday pedagogy. Everyday pedagogy is part of every moment of daily activities.
Stress-free childhood and the joy of learning5:06
Among the cornerstones of Finnish early childhood education and care are stress-free childhood and experience of joy of learning. There is a general shared understanding that children can be children and grow up at their own natural pace. One of the key goals in ECEC is to raise children with a healthy, positive attitude towards learning. Stress-free childhood and joyful learning are made possible by the fact that there is no pressure for children to acquire academic skills.
Different forms of ECEC in Finland3:06
How Finnish ECEC is organized? There are several different forms of ECEC in Finland
Funding of ECEC, child-staff ratios, and professional qualifications required5:40
In Finland, ECEC can be organized by the public sector or owned and organized by private entities. ECEC service is heavily supported by taxes, and there is almost no difference between the fees of public and private daycare centers. Both public and private ECEC centers follow the national regulation on child-staff ratios and professional qualifications.
National Core Curriculum for ECEC and Pre-primary education4:52
The common aim of the core curricula is to ensure the common foundation for delivering high-quality services on equal terms throughout the country. The curricula have been developed based on findings in national and international research, on experiences within different early childhood services, and on the shared knowledge and agreed understandings of how to meet the needs of children, families, communities as well as those of the Finnish society as a whole.
A typical day in a Finnish ECEC center3:25
In this module you'll see an example what a typical day in a full-time Finnish ECEC looks like. There are variations in how different ECEC centers structure their days. The daily schedule of a daycare center is always adapted to the local needs.
Finnish Pre-primary education, and what is a child’s good day made of?4:24
Questions to test your learning attainments
Questions to reflect on your teaching practises

Requirements

Interest in education.

Description

Early childhood education is an integral part of the success story of Finnish education. Early childhood education and care, pre-primary education and primary education form a continuum that supports the child’s development and learning. Early childhood education builds a foundation for the life-long learning path in Finland. Finland has high-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC), which is provided for children aged 0–5 years.

The Finnish ECEC is based on the educare model: an integration of care, education and teaching. The objectives, principles and contents of ECEC are guided by the National Curriculum Guidelines on ECEC, which aims to promote the provision of ECEC on equal terms throughout the country. The course presents the Finnish Educare model and National Core Curriculum guiding ECEC in Finland. It also unveils the mission and core tasks of Finnish ECEC: promoting children’s wellbeing, happiness and health. Jump in and learn more about a typical day in Finnish ECEC!

Trainer: Master of Education Elena Chukhlantseva, ECEC specialist / Learning Scoop Through over 15 years of working in the education field, Elena has gained academic and practical experience in multicultural and multilanguage settings as a teacher in a bilingual school, a researcher in the sociology of education and trainer. For the last few years, she has trained teachers, experts and other interested stakeholders both in Finland and abroad on topics of early childhood education, pre-primary and primary education. As an ECEC Specialist of Learning Scoop, Finland, Elena Chukhlantseva has focused on training about Finnish early years education and primary education, collaborating with partners on developing Finnish-inspired curriculum for early years, promoting the best Finnish educational practices.

Who this course is for:

Anyone who is interested in Education development, particularly early childhood education.