Early Childhood Education and Care Projects

State’s special relief to promote the reform of support mandated by the Act on Early Childhood Education and Care 2022-2023. 

Aims 

1. Supporting the implementation of support reform mandated by the Act on Early Childhood Education and Care 

2. Reinforcing the support received by children, development of the support quality in early childhood education and care, the promotion of early childhood support, inclusion, and leadership in action, and cooperative culture 

3. Development of early childhood education support skills 

4. Promotion of evaluation of the effectiveness of early childhood education support 

Staff working with state funding 

• 4 early childhood special education teachers full-time in regional special education groups 

• 1 early childhood special education teacher in service coordination providing preliminary evaluation of support needs and early childhood education and care organization 

• 4 regional early childhood education mentoring teachers to reinforce high-quality early childhood education and care and general support as well as instilling new operation models 

• 4 daycare workers in groups as additional resource for development and support 

• 12 daycare workers substituting staff during training courses to secure participation 

• A project coordinator for coordination, development, and diverse cooperation development 

Hiring additional staff reinforces inclusive working culture, learning and well-being, organization of support near the children and families, multidisciplinary pedagogical work, and early implementation of support action.  

State funding is used for the following training and development action: 

• The development of support and inclusion skills is directed widely to all early childhood education and care professionals for both municipal and private day care providers. 

• Training courses reinforce the development of inclusive working culture and the shared pedagogical leadership in pair work together with special education teachers and managers. 

• Peer mentoring and work counseling are used to support the staff’s skills and employee well-being.  

• Training courses and coordination ensure equality in regions, city-specific structures, and pedagogical modes of operation. 

The relief is a part of the implementation of the quality and development programme Oikeus oppia in early childhood education and care. 

More information: 

Minna Rossi-Salow 
Project Coordinator, early childhood special education teacher 

Tel. 040 182 7086, minna.rossi-salow@ouka.fi 

Special state funding for action promoting equality and development of quality in the years 2020-2021, 2021-2022, and 2022-2023.  

The state funding is meant for reinforcing early childhood education and care working culture, inclusion, learning and well-being, equality and equity, interaction, and local services, as well as immediate and sufficient early childhood support. 

Early childhood teachers, social workers, day care workers, and group assistants who work according to regional indicators focused on specific daycare centres have been hired with the state funding. Indicators are, among other things, elevated risk of becoming marginalized in families, different language and culture backgrounds, and children’s support needs.  

More information: 

Minna Rossi-Salow 
Project coordinator, early childhood special education teacher 
tel. 040 182 7086, minna.rossi-salow@ouka.fi 

The state funding is meant to level out the effects of emergency conditions, to prevent problems in children’s learning, development, and well-being, and to ensure better learning conditions in early childhood education and care.  

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused welfare deprivation endangering children’s and families’ psychosocial well-being and has increased accumulation of underprivileged and marginalized families. The state funding supports children’s learning, well-being, support services near the child and family, multidisciplinary work, and early implementation of support action.  

Day care workers and early childhood special education workers have been hired to work as additional staff to promote children’s and families’ well-being, sense of security, implementation of general, enhanced, and special support, and language conscious working culture. 

• Daycare workers reinforce activity in small groups and early childhood special education workers ensure the implementation of children’s support 

• In preschool education, daycare workers and early childhood special education workers are responsible for implementation of well-being and participation action, reinforcing children’s Finnish language skills, emotional and security skills, and mental health skills. 

More information: 

Minna Rossi-Salow 
Early childhood special education teacher 
tel. 040 182 7086 minna.rossi-salow@ouka.fi 

State funding for promoting action for equality in preschool and basic education, and quality assurance for the years 2020-2021, 2021-2022, and 2022-2023. 

Two early childhood education language and culture teachers act as language and culture conscious early childhood education teachers and experts in preschool groups with a large number of children from immigrant backgrounds. 

Aims: 

• Simultaneous teaching 

• Promotion of language and culture consciousness 

• Reinforcing Finnish language learning 

• Transfer counseling for children and guardians 

• Reinforcing communication when transferring from preschool to basic education 

• Evaluation of preparatory education need of children with immigrant background when transferring from preschool to basic education 

More information: 

Sirpa Tenhu 
Coordinator 
sirpa.tenhu@ouka.fi 

Asteen verran digimpi vaka (a higher degree of digital early childhood education and care) special funding is used to develop digital skills and competence in pedagogical activities in early childhood education and care as a part of the Uudet lukutaidot development programme. With the funding, seven itinerant digimentors are hired for the year 2023 to early childhood education and care. 

Digimentors work primarily in municipal and private daycare centres and with family day care providers, counseling and instructing the children and staff how to implement digital tools and applications in a pedagogically functional way. The digimentors reinforce digital competence and media literacy skills by organizing different training courses (contact and distance training) and by preparing written and video learning materials to be used in early childhood education and care. Digimentors work in close cooperation with the daycare centre information and communications technology staff, enhancing the staff’s skills.  

In the Art Seeds and Tutors project, Oulu's early childhood education and care staff's art and culture competence is enhanced by bringing art educators – art tutors – into their work environments. The training takes place among everyday activities according to the project's tutoring process. 

During the project in the years 2024–26, every daycare centre in Oulu is offered the chance for the training, during which an art tutor works in the child groups in such a way that the staff is included as well. The working methods of the art tutors can be utilized and adapted by the daycare staff after the tutor visitations as well. Participating in the art education tutoring is possible for the adults and children without previous experience in the art tutor's art form.

The project will last until 30.4.2026. The project is funded by the European Social Fund (ESF+). 

Project goals

• Enhancing, developing and intensifying the art and culture education competency of early childhood education and care staff by bringin art education tutors into their work environment.
• Continuous learning and learning from others in work communities.
• Enhancing art education skills of the staff as a part of their professional competency.
• Bringing new forms of training and art education tutoring into the everyday life of Oulu's early childhood education and care.
• Indirectly promoting accessible, equal, high-quality and diverse culture education in early childhood education and care by increasing well-being via culture in work communities.

Additionally as a part of the project, a wide effectiveness evaluation is conducted and an Art Education Quality Sign operations model is being developed to support the daycare centres in maintaining new comptenecy and continuous development. 

Project progress

• Oulu's early childhood education and care staff were sent an initial survey in January 2024. The survey established the need for art education training for the early childhood education and care staff.
• The pilot period of the tutoring was held in some cooperation daycare centres in January-February 2024.
• The actual art tutor visitations will take place in the spring/fall of 2024 and will continue until the end of 2025.
• During the project, each daycare centre may reserve one art tutor period.
• Tutoring periods are offered to daycare centres based on the needs established in the initial survey.
• The project coordinators and art education professionals from cooperation associations will work as art tutors. The activities of the project intertwine with existing operations. The project will utilize the Puoli päivää pihalla operations model and STEAM pedagogy.

Contact information 

Project Director
Heidi Anttila 
tel. 040 353 7325 
heidi.m.anttila@ouka.fi 

Project Coordinator
Paula Puumalainen 
tel. 040 515 5482 
paula.puumalainen@ouka.fi 

Project Coordinator
Valtteri Huovinen
tel. 040 182 3436
valtteri.huovinen@ouka.fi

This is a machine translation.

Moving Children is a project focusing on the well-being and physical activity culture of early childhood education. The aim of the project is to strengthen a sports-friendly operating culture to support the well-being at work of the entire daycare centre community and early childhood educators. The project supports and increases the communal and physical activities of early childhood educators during the early childhood education day in accordance with the Half Day in the Yard operating model by exercising with children.

Operational objectives

• Improving the overall well-being of the daycare centre community
• Strengthening the mobility of ECEC staff with children during the working day
• Supporting the well-being and coping at work of early childhood education and care staff

The project lasts for 3 years (2024-2026) and 10-20 daycare centres are selected annually to develop the well-being and coping at work of their work community.

For 2024, the following daycare centres have been selected:

Eastern Region: Haapalehto, Saarela
Central Region: Kalliola, Kastelli, Koskela, Meri-Toppila
Northern Region: Asema, Teknologiakylä
Southern region: Knuutilankangas, Oulunlahti

• Work communities are provided with tools for the well-being of the work community, coping at work and increasing the personnel's own personal mobility.
• Daycare centres are offered break exercise equipment and programs, activity monitors for monitoring their own activity, Inbody measurements, lectures on welfare, nutrition and sleep, and programs for exercising with children.
• Joint idea workshops will be organised for the daycare centres' sports coordinators to activate the early childhood education day and to introduce physical activity, inclusion and children's participation.
• Leaders are offered the Mobile Early Childhood Education Leaders' Workshop training.
• Personnel are offered training related to the functional use of the yard, exercise in small spaces and outdoor activities.
• Programmatic/financial support is provided for the staff wellness day.

The partners are Sports Services, Personnel Services, University of Oulu and PoPLi ry.

The project receives support from the Local Grants for Sporty Lifestyles funding granted by the Ministry of Education and Culture and distributed by the Regional State Administrative Agency.

More info on

Tarja Kuusisto
Project coordinator
tarja.kuusisto@ouka.fi 
tel. 050 3412857