A Matter of Universalism? Rationalities of Access in Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care

Autor/inn/en	Fjällström, Salla; Karila, Kirsti; Paananen, Maiju
Titel	A Matter of Universalism? Rationalities of Access in Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care
Quelle	In: Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy, 6 (2020) 3, S.207-218 (12 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Fjällström, Salla) ORCID (Karila, Kirsti) ORCID (Paananen, Maiju)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2002-0317
DOI	10.1080/20020317.2020.1816372
Schlagwörter	Access to Education; Early Childhood Education; Child Care; Administrator Attitudes; Foreign Countries; Municipalities; Preschool Children; Equal Education; Parent Attitudes; Occupations; Decision Making; School Choice; Educational Policy; Social Influences; Social Integration; Legislation; Child Care Centers; Finland + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Education; Access; Bildung; Zugang; Bildungszugang; Early childhood; Frühkindliche Bildung; Frühpädagogik; Kinderfürsorge; Kinderbetreuung; Ausland; Magistrat; Pre-school age; Preschool age; Child; Children; Pre-school education; Preschool education; Vorschulalter; Kind; Kinder; Vorschulkind; Vorschulkinder; Vorschulerziehung; Vorschule; Elternverhalten; Beruf; Berufsumfeld; Decision-making; Entscheidungsfindung; Choice of school; Schulwahl; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Sozialer Einfluss; Soziale Integration; Gesetzgebungslehre; Child care facilities; Child care services; Kinderzentrum; Finnland
Abstract	Universal access to early childhood education and care (ECEC) has become a policy goal in many countries. In comparing and categorising national ECEC systems, Finnish ECEC has been presented as an example of a universal system. However, as municipalities are responsible for the provision of ECEC services in Finland, it is important to examine how access to ECEC is locally rationalised: how universal is Finnish ECEC after all? Drawing on discursive institutionalism, we analysed what kinds of rationalities administrators of local ECEC services constructed in terms of access to ECEC concerning four-year-old children, and what kind of possible preconditions were constructed in these rationalities. As a result, we found three different but intertwined rationalities of access to ECEC: equality of access for all children, a real need for ECEC, and the parents' choice. The parents' position in the labour market, the level of concern for the child or family, and the parents' decision emerged as constructed preconditions for access. Our examination illustrates the importance of examining local-level policy discourses in order to understand the historical and social constructions of access to ECEC. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01