Trends in enrolment rates in early childhood education and care and primary education, by age group (2005, 2015 and 2019)

In Finland, Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) includes day care arrangements offered to families (care) along with goal-oriented early childhood education (early education and teaching) provided for children prior to transitioning to primary education. ECEC is therefore seen to build a coherent starting phase within the continuum of lifelong learning. ECEC follows the “educare” principle, which emphasizes the simultaneous consideration for children’s education, teaching, and care as the foundation of pedagogical activity, which is at the same time strongly rooted in the idea of learning and development as a holistic experience. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the Finnish ECEC system, introduce its societal, organizational and curricular preconditions and discuss the current tensions and challenges faced.

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Expenditure on all children aged 3 to 5 enrolled in early childhood education and care (ISCED 0) and primary education as a percentage of GDP (2013 and 2017)

Education at a Glance 2020 - Education at a Glance ◽

10.1787/fd6accf8-en ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Education ◽

Primary Education ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Education And Care

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Affordances for 1- to 3-year-olds’ risky play in Early Childhood Education and Care

Journal of Early Childhood Research ◽

10.1177/1476718x18762237 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 258-275 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rasmus Kleppe

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Education ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Theoretical Concept ◽

Small Scale ◽

Age Group ◽

Complex Environments ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Education And Care ◽

Risky Play

This article focuses on how Early Childhood Education and Care institutions provide for 1- to 3-year-olds’ risky play—a previously little researched topic—utilizing data from an exploratory, small-scale study investigating aspects of risky play in the age-group. The main findings describe how three essentially different Early Childhood Education and Care centers provide different opportunities for risky play. These environments are assessed with the theoretical concept of affordance and suggest that versatile, flexible, and complex environments and equipment—with little objective risk—are optimal for children’s risky play in this age-group. Being a new topic, the affordance assessment is discussed in relation to a standardized measurement, the Infant-Toddler Environment Rating Scale—Revised edition. Findings indicate that the two approaches partly coincide but also that there are discrepancies. Interpretations and implications are discussed.

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