The Hyvinvointipäiväkoti Model

The goal of early childhood education and care is to promote children’s well-being and learning. Experience-based well-being information is used as a tool to support pedagogy according to the early childhood education plan and the preschool education curriculum. 

The principles of the early childhood education plan (also called vasu) enforce investigation and observation of children’s needs, wishes, and opinions as a part of activity development, implementation, and evaluation. Daycare centre staff are responsible for methods used to take the children’s opinions into account. Various possibilities for guardians to participate in early childhood education and care activity planning, implementation, and evaluation must be organized. Vasu policies can be implemented with the help of the Hyvinvointipäiväkoti operations model.  

Pedagogy of Participation 

Early childhood education and care is full-time pedagogy; all daily situations are important for growth and learning. Promotion of the child’s participation is one aim of the Education and Culture Service's equality and equity plan. 

Pedagogy of participation includes interaction, child orientation, and adult direction. The adult is always responsible for the goal orientation and timing of the activities. Participation highlights the child’s opinions and experiences as well as the possibility to influence their own daily lives. Above all, participation is a skill that is learned gradually in practice. The goal is a culture of participation where the adult genuinely stops to listen to the child and sees the child’s opinions as valuable. 

Hyvinvointipäiväkoti Supports Children 

The goal of early childhood education and care is to help the child build their self-image and recognize their strengths and appreciate these in other people. The principle of children’s well-being is effortless daily life. It is created through the child’s personal experiences.  

Basic essentials of well-being: 

• Experiences of success 

• Being accepted and heard 

• Getting positive feedback 

• Experience of security 

According to the Act on Early Childhood Education and Care (580/2015) , being heard and participation in matters regarding one’s own life are child’s rights and promoting children’s participation is one of the most important pedagogical points of emphasis in early childhood education and care. The Lapsiystävällinen kunta operations model also supports this goal.  

Evaluations are carried out in daycare centres according to the Hyvinvointipäiväkoti operations model, with the goal of generating experiential information about children’s well-being in daycare centres. The children of the daycare group, the care staff, guardians, and other carers participate in the evaluations. The children are surveyed during a daycare day.  

The evaluation results are studied together with the children, daycare staff, and guardians. The goal is to find practical means to promote children’s well-being in daycare centres.  

By listening to the children’s opinions, we gain valuable information about the children themselves while revealing new perspectives on daily life in daycare centres that could be otherwise disregarded. To the child, being heard means experiences of being valuable, important, and accepted. This has a profound effect on children’s well-being.  

More information:

Regional coordinator Tuula Herranen tel. 044 703 5336, tuula.herranen@ouka.fi
Early childhood education and care coordinator Sari Nyberg tel. 050 388 6901, sari.nyberg@ouka.fi