ABSTRACT
In Sweden there is a long tradition of early childhood education, because a major part of the responsibility for preschool children has been assumed by society. Today, parents share fifteen months’ paid parental leave from the time of birth, and they can also look after a sick child thirty days a year, paid by the social welfare system. Most preschool children are involved in some kind of early childhood education program because around 90% of the parents of preschool children work outside the home. Of the three year olds, 42% attend day-care centers. However, Swedish early childhood education, which means both day care and kindergarten, is viewed as full-day or part-time preschool. This implies that we have the same official state guidelines (Socialstyrelsen, 1987) for both kinds of settings and that the same level of education should be provided by the staff working there. Both nursery assistants (with an upper-secondary-school education) and preschool teachers (with a university degree) work in these settings.
