ABSTRACT
In Iceland, the term playschool is used for early childhood programmes for children up to 6 years old, prior to the age of compulsory education. University-educated early childhood educators are called playschool teachers. According to a 1994 law, playschools are the first level of schooling in Iceland (Law on Playschools, No. 78/1994). Children can start playschool as early as 1 year old, but most children
This chapter presents a study on Icelandic playschool teachers’ views concerning cooperation between playschools and families, the types of parental participation and cooperation that occur within the playschools, the goals of parental cooperation, the methods used and the problems and barriers. Playschool teachers in approximately 72 per cent of Icelandic playschools answered a questionnaire that was sent to all playschools in Iceland. The responses were compared among different groups and by age of the children with whom the teachers were working. The results revealed that the teachers in general had positive attitudes towards parents and felt that the parents were interested in and wanted to support their children. The main barriers that prevented parental involvement were, in their view, parents’ lack of time and lack of interest. Playschool directors’ and the special educators’ opinions and practices differed somewhat from the others. The special educators held most frequent individual parent conferences, and they found reciprocal information-giving about the child being important, more so than the other groups. They also reported more frequent problems in discussing deviations and parents’ language difficulties. The playschool directors, on the other hand, were more concerned than the other groups that parents were satisfied with the playschool. They valued confidentiality and respect in interactions to be more important and that the parents should feel secure with their child there. They also mentioned more often than the other groups that they found it difficult to discuss neglect and abuse with the parents.
