Parents’ values are reflected in the age at which early childhood education begins
A child reaching an appropriate age is often used as a criterion for starting early childhood education. However, perceptions of what age is appropriate vary according to parents’ education and other family-related factors. Choosing when the child begins early childhood education can be influenced by parents’ attitudes as well as the available options for early childhood education and care, as well as parents’ views on the quality of early childhood education.
Finnish family policy has sought a more even distribution of care between the parents and freedom of choice between home care and early childhood education. The 2022 family leave reform increased the father’s quota for family leave but made no changes to the child home care allowance.
The child home care allowance is very popular among families, but at the same time it has been criticised from the viewpoints of women’s employment and children's participation in early childhood education and care. Long periods of child home care allowance are considered to weaken women’s position in the labour market and make it more difficult for them to return to work. The choice between using child home care allowance and starting early childhood education and care outside of the home depends on many different factors, such as the parents’ labour market situation and education.
From May to June 2022, we used a family leave survey to ask the parents of small children (10–33 months) about their views on what age is suitable for a child to begin early childhood education and care. Four out of ten mothers who responded to the survey were currently caring for their child at home, and the question of starting early childhood education and care was certainly topical in many families. The survey was targeted at parents who had taken family leave in accordance with the old family leave system that was in force prior to August 2022.
Most parents consider 1.5–2 years to be an appropriate age for a child to start early childhood education
Most parents who responded to the survey felt that an appropriate age to place their child in early childhood education and care is 1.5–2 years old. This view was shared by 40 per cent of the mothers and 36 per cent of the fathers. 29 per cent of the mothers and 36 per cent of the fathers considered a younger age, 1–1.5 years, to be appropriate.
Parents’ views on appropriate starting age for early childhood education and care have changed in recent years. Mothers, in particular, are ready to place their children in care outside the home at a younger age than before. A survey conducted in 2019 also found that 1.5–2 years was the most popular starting age, but at that time, only 21 per cent of the mothers and 31 per cent of the fathers considered a child aged 1–1.5 to be of a suitable age for starting early childhood education and care.
Opinion has changed so that an increasing number of parents consider younger children ready to start early childhood education and care. However, the 2019 survey was targeted at parents of slightly younger children (3–20 months) than the survey conducted in spring 2022 (10–33 months.
However, few parents are prepared for their children to start early childhood education and care under the age of one year old. Similarly, the idea that a child should be at least three years old before starting early childhood education is not very common.
Before the family leave reform, a child could also participate in early childhood education and care between periods of parental leave, if the father postponed his quota of leave. According to the results of the survey, in nearly one-fifth (17%) of the families where the father had taken paternity leave after parental leave, the child had participated in early childhood education and care between the mother’s and father’s leave periods.
Parents with higher education are prepared to place a younger child in early childhood education
We also looked at whether the parents’ educational background correlates with the age at which they consider a child ready to start early childhood education. Fathers are prepared to place their child in early childhood education earlier than mothers, regardless of their level of education.
Highly educated parents perceive a younger starting age to be suitable more than other parents. 72 per cent of all mothers and 81 per cent of mothers who have completed higher education considered a child under two years of age to be ready for early childhood education and care. Respectively, 78 per cent of all fathers and 84 per cent of fathers who have completed higher education considered an age under two years to be an appropriate age.
Mothers with a low level of education considered the appropriate age for starting early childhood education to be higher than other mothers. Only 63 per cent of mothers with a low level of education thought that under two years of age is a suitable age for a child to start early childhood education and care. Previous studies also showed similar differences in views on the appropriate age for a child to start early childhood education and care based on the parents’ educational background.
The views on early childhood education and care are quite positive
Early childhood education and care can be thought of both as a subjective right of the child and as an opportunity that enables parents to work. The parents’ choice of whether the child participates in early childhood education and care or whether a parent stays at home to care for the child is also affected by the parents’ attitude towards early childhood education and care in general.
We examined the parents’ attitudes towards early childhood education and care using two statements:
- "It is a good idea for a child to participate in early childhood education and care outside the home (such as at a day care centre or family day care) before the age of three."
- ”It is detrimental to the development of a child under the age of three to be in early childhood education and care outside of the home (such as at a day care centre or family day care).”
The parents who responded to the survey felt quite positive about early childhood education and care. Fathers in particular considered the participation of children under three years of age in early childhood education and care to be a good thing. A total of 73 per cent of the fathers and 57 per cent of the mothers were either partially or entirely of the opinion that it is a good idea for a child to participate in early childhood education and care before the age of three. However, more than one-fifth (21%) of the mothers and more than one in ten (13%) fathers disagreed with the statement, either partially or entirely.
Only a few considered the participation of a child under the age of three in early childhood education and care to be actually detrimental to the development of a small child. Only 3% of both the mothers and fathers fully agreed that early childhood education and care is detrimental to children under the age of three. One half of the mothers and 55 per cent of the fathers strongly disagreed with this statement.
Experiences of or doubts surrounding the poor quality or availability of early childhood education and care may also encourage parents to care for their child at home. According to the results of the survey, however, only a few mothers said that they had cared for their child with home care allowance because they were not satisfied with the quality of early childhood education (12%), did not want others to take care of the child (8%), or that a suitable place of care could not be found (4%).
Local changes to home care allowance may affect care solutions
As an alternative to early childhood education and care, child home care allowance offers parents the opportunity to care for their child at home after parental leave. Despite the low level of allowance, child home care allowance has long been a very popular benefit among parents, and approximately 90 per cent of families use the allowance at least for some time before their child starts early childhood education and care.
The use of child home care allowance is strongly focused on women, and the system has been heavily criticised for its impact on employment, for example. However, when the family leave system that entered into force last year was reformed, the decision to exclude child home care allowance from the reform work was made at a fairly early stage.
The parents’ attitudes towards early childhood education and care for young children have changed despite the fact that no major changes have been made to the child home care allowance at a national level. In recent years, however, several municipalities have made cuts or other restrictions on municipal supplements to the child home care allowance. These changes may have had a big impact on families.
Early childhood education and care may have become more attractive as municipalities have cut municipal supplements to child home care allowance while reducing early childhood education and care fees.
Family care solutions are evolving
There has long been concern about lower participation rates among Finnish children, particularly those over the age of three, in early childhood education and care in comparison to children in other countries. Several policy measures have been taken to increase the participation rate in early childhood education and care by lowering client fees in early childhood education, enhancing service counselling in early childhood education, and engaging in various pilot projects (such as the two-year preschool experiment).
Parents choose their childcare options and make their childcare decisions about when to start early childhood education and care in the cross-current of the opportunities offered by the system and the public debate.
In particular, the employment of mothers with small children has improved in recent years, which may have increased the popularity of early childhood education and care. Childcare decisions are certainly also influenced by images and perceptions of the quality of early childhood education and care, which are strongly guided by public debate. The availability of early childhood education and care services is also a key factor when parents consider their childcare options.
Based on previous surveys, it seems that parents feel surprisingly positively about the proposed cuts to child home care allowance. The rarity of long periods of child home care allowance and the increase in the participation rate of children under three years of age in early childhood education and care show that families have already changed their behaviour in their decisions regarding childcare solutions.
How the study was carried out
Data acquisition for the family leave survey in 2022 was carried out in cooperation with Kela and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare in spring 2022. Survey respondents included mothers (1,827 respondents) and fathers (1,526 respondents) of children aged 1–2 who had taken at least one day of maternity, paternity or parental leave. Fathers who had not taken leave were not included in the survey. The respondents had taken leave under the old family leave system. Implementation of the survey was funded by the Finnish Work Environment Fund.
Authors
Anu Kinnunen
Researcher, Kela
anu.kinnunen@kela.fi
Miia Saarikallio-Torp
Senior Researcher, Kela
miia.saarikallio-torp@kela.fi
Johanna Lammi-Taskula
Research Manager, THL
johanna.lammi-taskula@thl.fi
Anneli Miettinen
Senior Researcher, Kela
anneli.miettinen@kela.fi
Johanna Närvi
Senior Researcher, THL
johanna.narvi@thl.fi
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