Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Denmark

Abstract

Ninety-eight percent of all Danish children between one and six attend an early childhood education and care (ECEC) center. Thirty-eight percent of these children spend eight hours or more a day in an ECEC center. Most Danish ECECs are public and administered by local municipalities. ECEC centers include crèche/nurseries and family day-care providers (zero to three years); kindergartens (three to six years); and the most common, integrated centers (zero to six years). On average, 45 percent of the zero-to-two-year-old children attending an ECEC attend a family day-care provider. Often, ECEC centers are open Monday through Friday from six thirty a.m. to five p.m. Each center varies in size and the manner of its organization, and most are unit based so that every child belongs to a unit with particular adults. Pedagogical approaches also vary, but in general, children spend three to four hours a day outside on a playground. Except for lunch, snacks, and circle times, children take part in adult-initiated or adult-structured activities, typically thirty minutes per day. Otherwise, they are free to choose for themselves with what to play and with whom to play in a child-centered pedagogical environment. The ECEC sector has a high political priority and accounts for a considerable part of municipal budgets since only one-fifth of total costs are financed by parent fees. The ECEC sector is vested with high expectations, which include preventing social problems and providing care, upbringing, and learning opportunities for all children. Danish pedagogues are professionally trained at the bachelor’s level in providing care and supporting development. In an average municipality, 59 percent of the professionals have a degree in pedagogy, while the remaining 41 percent are assistants with some or no pedagogical education. The ratios between adults and children vary between municipalities. In 2018, each professional on average was responsible for 6.2 children, age three to five, or 3.1 children, age zero to two. The early childhood education and care system in Denmark is like other Nordic countries, based on a social pedagogical approach. The sector is closely connected to the development of the Danish welfare state in the 1960s and onward with its tax-financed public health, education, and social system. Another characteristic is that in Denmark most men and women are employed on a full-time basis. In the mid-20th century, legislation regulating the ECEC sector was sparse. It was adopted under the purview of the Ministry of Social Affairs, which reflected the fact that providing day care for preschool children was regarded a social issue rather than an educational issue. A national curriculum of six learning themes became effective in 2004 and has been implemented into a play-based tradition. In 2018, a political initiative was implemented in order to straighten the curriculum framework. One of the aims is to increase the learning environment in Danish ECEC centers and to develop the professionals’ cooperation with parents. In 2019 the Danish parliament introduced initiatives toward a minimum ratio of one adult to three children in nurseries (zero-to-two-year-olds), and one adult to six children in kindergartens (three-to-five-year-olds). The exact model is not negotiated yet, but the implementation is expected to be in place by 2025.