A1 Journal article (refereed)
Flexibly scheduled early childhood education and care : experiences of Finnish parents and educators (2019)

Rönkä, A., Turja, L., Malinen, K., Tammelin, M., & Kekkonen, M. (2019). Flexibly scheduled early childhood education and care : experiences of Finnish parents and educators. Early Years, 39(4), 376-391. https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2017.1387519

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Rönkä, Anna; Turja, Leena; Malinen, Kaisa; Tammelin, Mia; Kekkonen, Marjatta

Journal or series: Early Years

ISSN: 0957-5146

eISSN: 1472-4421

Publication year: 2019

Volume: 39

Issue number: 4

Pages range: 376-391

Publisher: Routledge

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2017.1387519

Publication open access: Not open

Publication channel open access: 

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/67127

Abstract

This study focuses on flexibly scheduled early childhood education and care (ECEC), an institutional childcare service for Finnish families where both parents, or a single parent, work non-standard hours. Although many countries nowadays offer extended hours day care, only Finland has a publicly provided, law-based system guaranteeing ECEC during non-standard as well as standard hours. We explore, drawing on parental survey data, what kinds of families use such services and when. Furthermore, we utilise web-survey data obtained from early educators to find out what they report as the main challenges involved in implementing flexibly scheduled ECEC. The results showed that single-parent families and lower educated parents were over-represented among the families using flexibly scheduled ECEC. The unpredictability of working-life tends to spill over to ECEC. Due to varying parental work schedules, children have unique daily and weekly rhythms, which in turn impact on administration, pedagogical issues and meeting children’s needs.

Keywords: early childhood education and care; parents; working hours; atypical work; flexibility

Free keywords: ECEC services; flexibly scheduled ECEC; parents working non-standard hours; early educators

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

VIRTA submission year: 2019

JUFO rating: 1