ABSTRACT
This chapter explores political processes connected to the intensified focus on learning outcomes in Danish day care institutions. It begins by describing the broad lines of development of Danish day care institutions from 1960 to the present. In this chapter, it is argued how the idea of early childhood education in day care challenged the well-established values of Danish nurseries and kindergartens. Using a discourse analytic approach, it is shown how ideas of early childhood education came to challenge the existing understanding of a holistic and child-centred approach for pedagogical work in Danish day care. The analysis offers an understanding of why early childhood education not has been a ‘plug and play’ endeavour in Denmark given the historical and cultural context. In the new national educational curriculum, child-initiated play is recognised as an important part of day care activities. However, the Danish day care is still organised by six areas of learning (Law no. 554 of 29 May 2018). The question remains as to how the ‘new and strengthened’ national educational curriculum will affect the everyday life of day care institutions, both the daily activities of the children and the work tasks of the pedagogues. Regardless of these changes, children’s day care persists as a political and pedagogical battleground.
