22 daycare leaders from Germany explored the Finnish world of early childhood education
A group of German pre-school leaders came to Jyväskylä to study the early childhood education system in Finland. Their backup organisation is FIPP – Fortbildungsinstitut für die Pädagogische Praxis aka Training Institute for Educational Practice, which is an association founded in 1971, with 60 units in Berlin, 24 of which are kindergartens or day-care centres. The professional visit, which was possible due to an Erasmus+ funding, was supported by the Gesellschaft für Europabildung from the German side, and was coordinated and realised by Experience Workshop in Finland.
The Finnish system on screen and on the streets
On the first day, the Finnish school system was introduced to the participants. Kristóf Fenyvesi’s presentation showed that pre-primary education, as the basis of the education system, is given a special focus, with an organic curriculum and a high level of financial support. Finns take lifelong learning literally, and the foundations of the system are laid in kindergartens. At this age, hands-on and experiential learning is a must, and the Playful Learning book provides a unique systematic overview of the methods and tools available for this approach.
The guests were also given an educational tour of Jyväskylä’s emblematic sites, such as the university campus designed by Alvar Aalto, the university library or the Mäki-Matti family park.
It was particularly interesting for German early childhood educators to hear how the famous Froebel’s gifts of German origin, brought to Finland by the 19th century scientist and artist Fredrik Cygnaeus, have inspired the Finns when they were outlining the education system.
Kindergarten visits
Kortepohja kindergarten and school
Kortepohja school is a kindergarten and a primary school under one roof, with separate directors who have been working together since the design of the building (2018) to make the spaces (gym, library, canteen, etc.) as shared as possible. The gym and the library also serve the city district (Kortepohja, the university campus district) and are used by local communities.
The children who attend Kortepohja school speak 25 different languages. The guests were shown around by Timo Korhonen, head of the institution.
Pohjanlammen kindergarten
Pohjanlammen kindergarten was founded and opened in August 2023. The children who attend here speak 36 different languages. There is a Swedish language focused group, the only such group in Central Finland. Another special feature of the institution is that it is open from 5 am to 10.30 pm. They employ 60 teaching staff, including 3 special needs teachers and 10 teacher assistants to support children with learning difficulties.
We had a thought-provoking professional discussion with Teijo Paananen school director, Niina Ropponen pedagogical director and Marja Koponen special needs teacher.
One of the big differences between the Finnish and the German kindergarten (or pre-school) systems is that in Finland, pre-school education is part of the official core curriculum whereas in Germany it is not included there. Therefore, the organisation of pre-school care is much more varied and flexible in Germany, and it is largely shaped by private actors. In Finland, kindergartens are regarded as the cornerstone of the whole education system and receive most of the public funding for education.
STEAM in the early age
Participants had the opportunity to learn about age-appropriate STEAM methods in a workshop held by Kristóf Fenyvesi. In groups, they developed sketches to link the Finnish playful learning concept with the STEAM tool they were trying out and with their own field of expertise.
Finnish kindergarten teacher Sara Virtanen also participated in the workshop and there were lots of questions back and forth.
All in all, the following highlights were considered as the most remarkable from the observations of Finnish kindergarten and pre-school education:
- multifunctional spaces,
- small group activities,
- multilingualism,
- plenty of time outdoors, in all weathers,
- self-service canteen (only the youngest children eat in their own room),
- importance of design.
“I once again gained a small insight into working in the kindergartens and experienced the wonderful attitude towards children. I was very impressed by the city’s responsibility to create playgrounds for children that are so clean and stimulating. I learnt about teacher training and was able to visit some wonderful exhibitions. The nature was wonderful and the people were very welcoming.“
(Participant’s feedback)
Photo cretidts: Nóra Somlyódy, Lumi Mi
The program was implemented as part of the Erasmus+ KA1 programme, with the contribution of Experience Workshop Jyväskylä and the Gesellschaft für Europabildung (GEB) Berlin.
Interested in similar programs?
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