Exploring Danish Early Childhood Education from Home
It’s been just over a month since I’ve started classes with DIS Copenhagen and my experience has been totally different from what I had imagined to say the least. First off, I’m not abroad! I was one of the unlucky students who was not able to make it into Denmark before they closed their borders, so I have been attending classes online with many other students who are stuck at home in different parts of world. I was disappointed to find out our travels would be postponed, but at the same time I knew this was one of the risks of trying to study abroad during a pandemic! Though being in Denmark would have enhanced my learning, I decided to stick with the DIS program because I was really excited to take the classes I signed up for. I am super interested in child development and education, and because Colby doesn’t have a major dedicated to child development, I saw this as an opportunity to further explore my interest and learn more about the field. Already, I have learned so much about early childhood education (ECEC) in Denmark and have made several connections and comparisons to what I know and have experienced in the U.S. So far, some of the most noteworthy aspects of child development and ECEC in Denmark:
1. Parental Leave
Parents in Denmark are provided paid parental leave for about one year in total. Parents can decide how to divide the amount of time between themselves and are subsidized by the Danish welfare state based on the parents income levels, among other factors. This allows parents to spend time with their newborn without having any financial worries or being pressured to return to work as soon as possible. In addition, once a parent’s parental leave is over, they are guaranteed to return back to their job/position at work. I thought this was impressive given the fact that parental leave in the U.S can be as little as one week if not less. Additionally, it is usually only mothers who take time off and thus can face much more difficulty at work. Prioritizing the development of the child after just being born is ever-present in Denmark and I think it is something to aim for.
2. Daycare
Local municipalities work with families to enroll their child into daycare by the time they are one years old. All children are found a spot in a daycare if the family so chooses. Daycare for children aged 1-3 are cared for by either vuggestue (cradleroom) pedagogues or a dagpleje (Daycare mother). Both institutions are state funded and focus on physical care and daily routines outside of the home. Children aged 3-5 are cared for by børnehave pedagogues where there is more of a focus on socialization, learning concepts, independence, norms and manners, and there is a lot of time for free play. The daycare environments are made to be home-like, cozy, and informal (see above picture). This is also a stark difference to childcare services in the U.S which may be expensive and/or difficult to find. In my experience, having extended family members or even older siblings care for younger children is much more common.
3. Social Pedagogy vs School Readiness
Denmark takes a social pedagogical approach to early childhood in which specific institutions are provided to support families and the broad development of children. Thus, the content is focused on free play and independent development with little interference from the adult, either the pedagogue or teacher. Denmark values the idea of the “good childhood” which emphasizes children’s freedom, promotes egalitarianism, fosters solidarity and caring relationships between children and adults, and creates child environments that enable children to experience living in a democracy. Rather than preparing to be a democratic citizen, children live through it in the present. More generally, childhood is seen as a valuable period of life in itself where children get to explore and develop as they are on their own. This conception of early childhood definitely differs from that of the U.S which takes a school readiness approach. Early education is perceived to serve the objectives of public education and provide “readiness” for school skills. Thus, the content includes structured activities designed to educate children and the adult/teacher plays an active teaching role. The school readiness approach definitely characterized what I have seen and experienced in daycares and preschool and the U.S, but I believe there can be pros and cons to each one. In future posts, I plan to explore this further as I learn more about each throughout the semester.
These are just a few points of difference that I think are noteworthy to share. I definitely think there is value in making comparisons and connections across cultures in which we might learn from each other. I hope to continue this list as classes continue whether they are online or in-person!