Peer-reviewed article

Early childhood education and care in Finland

Virpi Nikkola · 24 Feb 2020

Abstract

There is an increasing interest in children’s wellbeing and in early childhood education, both worldwide and in Finland. While the quality of the Finnish education system is highly regarded, there have been major changes in the country’s early childhood education in recent years, at the levels of the legal framework and the curriculum. There is a consensus that quality early education brings long-term benefits to the individual and great savings for society. The early years are the foundation of a person’s well-being, equal develop-ment, motivation and joy in learning, and the purpose of the nationwide direction of Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC) is to ensure quality provision for all. This article is a review of the literature on Finland’s early childhood education and care, and seeks to answers the following key questions about ECEC in Finland: What are the guiding principles? What are the core pedagogical values? What are the specific quality factors? The conclusion gives examples of good practice in day-to-day ECEC.