Abstract
This chapter describes and analyses the Finnish case study and begins by illustrating the macro-level context in which Finnish early childhood education practitioners work. In analysing the teacher’s day, it is possible to see that a typical day is constructed around a number of meaningful episodes. The findings show that being an early childhood professional at the current time in Finland is challenging as practitioners face new expectations for professionalism in the early childhood field due to changes in society and working life. Supportive environments are required to renew professional identities and develop everyday practices based on these new expectations. In future, more discussion is required about the resources practitioners need when implementing new expectations and requirements, and also about their own reflections related to their working practices so that their voices are clearly heard.
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Notes
- 1.
In the early part of the 1990s, Finland went through extensive deregulation. Decision making powers were increasingly delegated to the local level (see OECD, 2000, p. 40). Furthermore, at the turn of the 1990s, regulations by the central government were reduced both in the educational and the social sector. Regulation was increasingly redirected towards guidance by information (see OECD, 2000, p. 62.). At the beginning of this period the information steering in the field of early childhood education was quite scanty. The national project of curriculum in ECEC (since the year 2003) has changed the situation and nowadays the National Curriculum Guidelines on Early Childhood Education and Care in Finland (2003) is a significant means of information steering.
- 2.
In Finland teachers working in day care centres and preschool settings are usually called kindergarten teachers (lastentarhanopettaja). The title comes from the Fröbelian tradition and has remained in use even after kindergartens were re-named day care centres in 1973 through the Act on Children’s Day Care (367/1973). Nowadays the day care centres are sometimes called early childhood centres. The current names indicate the change in the cultural and historical interpretations of the functions of the centres.
- 3.
In full-time day-care services the staff members usually work different shifts, namely the morning shift, the middle shift or the evening shift. The teacher had the middle shift during the day we observed her.
- 4.
In full-time day-care services there are no particular times the children have to be at the day care centre. Children’s arrival and departure times are mainly related to their parents’ working hours.
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Karila, K., Kinos, J. (2012). Acting as a Professional in a Finnish Early Childhood Education Context. In: Miller, L., Dalli, C., Urban, M. (eds) Early Childhood Grows Up. International perspectives on early childhood education and development, vol 6. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2718-2_4
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