Early Childhood Education and Care Policy in Sweden

1 _~ = = ~ . = =lb`a=q ~ . o = =b~ =` . b ~ =~ =`~ =m K. Early Childhood Education and care Policy in Sweden DECEMBER 1 9 99. This report is produced by the Ministry of Education and Science in Sweden , which has granted the OECD permission to include it on the OECD Internet Home Page. The views expressed in the document are not necessarily those of the OECD or its Member governments. The copyright conditions governing access to information on the OECD Home Page are provided at: Further copies of the report can be obtained from the Ministry of Education and Science, 103 33 Stockholm, Sweden , Phone: +46 8 405 10 00, Fax: +46 8 723 11 92, E-mail: The address of the Government web site is : The Government's e-mail address is: Translation: Brian Turner.

2 Printed by Norstedts Tryckeri , december 1999, Article No: 2 E A R LY C H I L D H O O D E D U C AT I O N A N D C A R E P O L I C Y I N S W E D E N. Early Childhood Education AND. care Policy IN Sweden . _~ = = ~ = . =lb`a=q ~ =o . i~ = d ~ . _~ ~ ~=j~ =h . r ~= k ~ . E A R LY C H I L D H O O D E D U C AT I O N A N D C A R E P O L I C Y I N S W E D E N 3. 4 E A R LY C H I L D H O O D E D U C AT I O N A N D C A R E P O L I C Y I N S W E D E N. FOREWORD. p = = ~ ~ = = = = = = = = . NVVUJOMMM= = = lb`a= =!q ~ = o = = b~ = ` . b ~ =~ =`~ !

3 K=q = = =~ =_ I= =` =o I. a ~ I= c ~ I= f ~ I= = k ~ I= k ~ I= m ~ I= = r . h =~ = =r =p ~ K=q = ~ = = = = = = = J. ~ ~ = ~ = = = J ~ = = ~ = . ~ =~ = ~ = =~ =lb`aJ K. q =_~ =o = = = = = = = =~ = ~J. ~ = = = = ~ =~ = = =lb`a= = ~ ~ =` = ~ = . p K=q = = = ~ = = ~= ~ = = = = = ~ . =p = J~ = = ~ = ~ =~ = = = = . NVTM K. q = = ~ = = = =i~ =d ~ I=m =~ = =a ~ J. = =b ~ =~ = =r = =d =I=_~ ~ ~=j~ =h I. a =~ = =j = =b ~ =~ =p =~ =r ~=k ~ I. b ~ = a = ~ = = k~ ~ = ^ = = b ~ K= f = ~ . `~ ~ ~=_ I=p =^ ~ =l =~ = =j = =e ~ =~ . p ~ =^ ~ = ~ = = = = = = =p =p ~ =p.

4 P K. ^ = ~ = = = = I= ~ = = = ~= = ~ = = ~ . = ~ = = K=^ = ~ = = = =lb`a= =~. =` =k = ~ = ~ = = ~ = ~ ~ =~ = = J. = ~ = ~ K=q =lb`a =` =k = =b~ =` . b ~ =~ =`~ =m = =p = ~ = = = =K. q = _~ = o = ~ = = lb`a= ` = k = ~ = = ~ . = =j = =b ~ =~ =p K. p = =k =NVVV. p ~ ~ =_ . p ~ =p ~ . E A R LY C H I L D H O O D E D U C AT I O N A N D C A R E P O L I C Y I N S W E D E N 5. LIST OF CONTENTS. Foreword 5. Glossary 8. The Swedish Child care System - Existing Forms 8. I. INTRODUCTION 9. II. CONTEXTS 12. Changing Fertility Rates 12. From an Agrarian to a Post-industrial Society 13.

5 Labour Market and Economy 14. New Family Patterns 16. The Swedish Social Support System 18. III. THE SWEDISH ECEC 21. Historical Roots 21. Modern Times - A National Strategy for ECEC 22. Existing Forms 26. Expansion and Current Level of Coverage 29. Regional differences 30. Non-municipal ECEC 30. Division of Responsibility between the State and Municipalities 31. IV. Policy CONCERNS 34. Quality 34. Different Types of Quality Definitions 34. Access 39. Current level of coverage 39. Children in Need of Special Support 39. Children in Hospitals 40.

6 Parental Choice 41. Families with Limited Access to Public Child care 41. Multicultural ECEC 43. 6 E A R LY C H I L D H O O D E D U C AT I O N A N D C A R E P O L I C Y I N S W E D E N. V. Policy APPROACHES 43. Regulations 44. Staffing 46. Types of Personnel 46. Personnel Statistics 47. Program Content and Implementation 48. The National Curriculum for Pre-school 48. Working with Themes 51. Working in Teams 52. Integration and Co-operation - pre-school, school, leisure-time centre 53. Family Engagement and Support 54. Different Forms of Parental Involvement 55.

7 Links to Other Family Policies 56. Funding and Financing 56. Gross Costs 56. Parental fees 58. V. Evaluation and research 60. From Basic Research to Program Development and Evaluation 60. National Child care Statistics as Sources of Information 61. Shifting Focus 63. Ongoing Program Development, Evaluation and Research 64. VII. CONCLUDING COMMENTS AND ASSESSMENTS 66. APPENDICES 70. Tables 70. Excerpt from the School Act 75. E A R LY C H I L D H O O D E D U C AT I O N A N D C A R E P O L I C Y I N S W E D E N 7. GLOSSARY. _~ ` = ~.

8 _~ ~ ` = . a~ ~ ~ c~ = = . c~ ~ c~ = ~ = ~ = . c i J = . c ~ i J = ~ . c ~ m J . c ~ m J =~ . c ~ m J = ~ . p ~ p J~ = = ~ . = ~ l = J =~ . = ~ l = J . pbh p =` K=NMM=pbhZb`r=NN. The Swedish Child care System - Existing Forms c ~ p ~ . c ~ c~ J c J c~ . ~ ~ ~ J. ~ . 8 E A R LY C H I L D H O O D E D U C AT I O N A N D C A R E P O L I C Y I N S W E D E N. I. INTRODUCTION. ` = ~ = =p = ~ = = = = = = ~ = = ~ . ~ = = = = = = = p = ~ = K= o = = . = ~ =~ ~= ~ =~ = = = = = =p =o ~ K=q . ~ = ~ = ~ = =~= I= = = = ~ = = . =d =~ = = = = =TM =~ = = ~ = = =.

9 = =J= = ~ = = = ~ I= ~ = = =~ . = = = ~ I= = = ~ =~ = = ~ = ~ =~ . ~ = = = = K. ` = ~ = ~ = = =~ = ~ = = ~ = = = ~ = = ~J. = ~ = K= q = j = = e ~ = ~ = p ~ = ^ ~ = ~ = . = = = = =~ ~I= = =k~ ~ =_ ~ = =e ~ . ~ =t ~ =~ = = =~ K=q = ~ = ~ = =~ = . = = = ~ =~ = = ~ = = I= K K= ~ ~ . ~ = ~ = = ~ ~ = ~ = ~ = = ~ = = ~ = = ~ . ~ = ~ = ~ = = = ~ = = = ~ = K= ^= . ~ = ~ = ~ = = = = = ~ = ~ = = ~ . = = = = = = = = ~ = =~ = J. =~ = = = = ~ = ~ K=` = ~ = ~ = ~ =~ = ~ = = . = ~ = = = = ~ = = K. q = = ~ = = ~ = = ~ =~ =~= = = ~ = ~ I. = = ~ = ~ I= ~ ~ = = = ~ = ~ =~ ~ =.

10 ~ I= = = = ~ = = = = ~ = = J. = = =~ K=` ~ = ~ = =~= ~ = = = . I= = = =~ = =~ ~ = ~ = = ~ = = = ~ = ~ . = ~ ~ = ~ = ~ I= = = = K. k ~ ~ = = ~ = =p = =~= ~ ~ = ~ = = = = ~ = J. =~ =~= ~ = = = ~ = ~ = = = ~ = ~ =~= = ~ . = I=TR= = =~ = =~ = =NJR= ~ = ~ = ~ . ~ = SR= = = = = = = ~ = = SJV= ~ K=^ = . = = =VM I= ~ = = ~ ~ = ~ = = = = ~ . = ~ =~= ~ = =US= =~ = =~ =~= = =p = ~ . = = = = = ~ = =b K. ^ ~ = = ~ = = = = ~ = = = ~ = . = = I= = ~ = =p = = ~ = ~ = = = = J. = = ~ ~ =~ = = = ~ = = =~ = ~ = . = = ~ = ~ = ~ = = = = = . K. E A R LY C H I L D H O O D E D U C AT I O N A N D C A R E P O L I C Y I N S W E D E N 9.