Early Child Care and Education in Finland

What is childhood like in Finland? What kind of practical solutions have been created and evaluated that aim at both providing good childhood experiences and supporting children?s positive development? What practices aim to prevent child exclusion from regular education and social experiences and to foster children?s healthy development in emotional, social, and behavioural terms?

This book considers the reality of childhood in Finland. It discusses the realisation and evaluation of early childhood education and addresses aspects of research and practice concerning children under the age of 10. It examines the growth and development of young children, how learning and teaching are organised, practices of rearing children and the state of child care in Finland.

Contributors represent a variety of universities and sub disciplines in the science of education and focus on perspectives of children?s well-being, special viewpoints of early childhood education, care, and research in Finland.

This book was originally published as a special issue of Early Child Development and Care.

1. How do the Finnish family policy and early education system support the well-being, happiness, and success of families and children?Part I: The realisation and evaluation of early childhood education in Finland 2. Evaluating the quality of the child care in Finland3. Individual plans for children in transition to pre-school: a case study in one Finnish day-care centre4. Sámi education in FinlandPart II: Perspectives on children’s well-being 5. Having, loving, and being: children’s narrated well-being in Finnish day care centres 6. Cortisol levels and children’s orientation in day care7. Bullying in early educational settings8. Young children's well-being in Finnish stepfamilies9. Care of the other’s selfhood: a view on child care and education through Heidegger’s analytic of DaseinPart III: Special viewpoints on early childhood education, care, and research in Finland 10. Accelerating early language development with multi-sensory training11. How were the pupils dressed in a country village in northern Finland in 1909-1939? 12. The child diary as a research tool13. Experts or good educators – or both? The development of early childhood educators’ expertise in Finland

Kaarina Määttä, Ph.D., is Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Educational Psychology in the Faculty of Education at the University of Lapland, Finland. Her research interests include love, attachment, and social relationships during the life span of human beings; early education; guidance on and processes of doctoral theses; and positive psychology and human strengths. Previous publications include 'Expertise of early childhood educators' in International Education Studies, vol. 4 no. 3.

Satu Uusiautti, Ed.D., is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Faculty of Education at the University of Lapland, Finland. Her research interests include qualitative methods, positive psychology, and happiness, success, and well-being at various phases of life. Previous publications include 'The ability to love – a virtue-based approach' in British Journal of Educational Research, vol. 2 no. 1.