About

Every child deserves a great start in life, but in Finland, many are struggling due to a mix of societal changes and diverse backgrounds, including those fleeing conflict. This study dives into how well daycare, preschool, and early school staff are equipped to handle these challenges, focusing on their readiness and trauma awareness. The goal is to find out what works and what needs improvement to make sure no child gets left behind or marginalized.

Background

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Agenda 2030, all children have the right to a good life that favors all-round development and learning. Despite the fact that over 190 countries have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, stipulated laws and governing documents that will guarantee all children a good upbringing, security and faith in the future, there are challenges that mean that many children live under living conditions that are not favorable for their development and learning (Mansikka & Lundkvist, 2022). 

Focus on staff´s ability and competence

Society in Finland has changed, become more heterogeneous, and many Finnish children and young people are unwell. We also have children from different cultures and backgrounds, as well as children who, due to various circumstances, have been forced to leave their home country and adapt to a new culture and language, as well as to new contexts such as daycare, preschool and school. These educational institutions are important cogs for the integration to be successful (e.g. Park et al., 2018) and by studying operational cultural and structural conditions, it is possible to create sustainable conditions for development and learning for Finnish children and children who are integrated into the new the culture. The staff's ability and competence are significant for how you succeed in supporting the child's adaptation to the new culture. Children from challenging contexts (e.g. war-affected areas) place additional demands on an already stressed staff and on existing operational structures, and therefore it is relevant to think about the staff's readiness for action and trauma awareness. 

Aim to make the operating culture visible

The overall aim is to make visible the operating culture and prevailing structures in daycare, preschool and school (years 1-2) with regard to sustainable support structures for children. We also investigate the staff's readiness to receive and integrate children from various challenging contexts, as well as the trauma awareness and readiness for action that exists among the staff. The results are expected provide knowledge about which structures are sustainable and which should be further developed to counteract future exclusion and marginalization. 

 

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