Norwegian politics, Kindergartens | New study: Norwegian kindergartens beat out our neighboring countries
Norwegian kindergartens end up at the very top – and private kindergartens do it best.
Norwegian parents are very happy with the kindergartens its a parents in our neighboring countries Sweden, Denmark and Finland.
It shows a recent survey from EPSI Rating Norway, which every year measures user satisfaction with the educational process in the Nordic countries.
– We have been researching this for many years, and it remains stable high in Norway. This is a sign that the Norwegian kindergarten sector is providing a top service, says Fredrik Høst, general manager of EPSI Norway, to Nettavisen.
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– Some car lengths in front
In this year’s survey, which has 500 randomly selected parents with a child in kindergarten, it is clear that there are large differences between the Nordic countries.
Norwegian kindergartens get a result of 88 points, on a scale from 0 to 100. While both Sweden and Finland are about ten points lower, with 79.2 and 78.1 points respectively.
The least satisfied are Danish parents, with a score of 73 points.
– You are some car lengths ahead of Sweden, Finland and Denmark, says Høst.
The kindergarten sector in Norway also gets a slightly better result compared to last year’s survey, with an increase of 0.8 percentage points.
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Private at the top
The results for both the municipal and private kindergartens in this country are good, but once again it is the private kindergartens that get the best feedback.
“However, it is seen that satisfaction among parents with children in municipal kindergartens is increasing, which means that the difference in parental satisfaction is smaller than in a long time.”, it is pointed out in the study.
The clearest difference between private and municipal kindergartens is found in questions about food and diet, as well as in the kindergartens’ outdoor activities and trips.
– Does not come by itself
The National Association of Private Kindergartens (PBL), however, reports that it does not come by itself.
– The fact that parents are so well satisfied with the kindergartens, we have stated so many times that it is almost taken for granted. But it is nothing that comes by itself. So this should both owners, managers and employees as a pat on the back, whether they are in municipal or private kindergartens, says CEO Anne Lindboe of the Private Kindergarten National Association (PBL) to Nettavisen.
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She believes that the differences are so great in the Nordic countries, that it should be interesting for the authorities to take a closer look at why this is so.
– Personally, I think that the mix of municipal and private kindergartens in Norway is a significant part of the success. In Norway, half of the children go to private kindergartens, while the distribution is about 80/20 in favor of public kindergartens in other Nordic countries, Lindboe says.
– It’s a success
– Why do you think the private kindergartens end up at the very top?
– Since this is systematic and over time in all known national parent surveys, it is obviously not accidental. Maybe it’s something to do with the way kindergartens are run? Do they extend a little further? In any case, it is quite clear that private individuals get more out of the resources they use and this burden it will be exciting to map in more detail, says Lindboe.
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She points out the last few years have been extra challenging for private kindergartens.
– Both the much-discussed Storberget committee and the government’s cuts in the pension supplement created unrest and concern for owners and employees. Without it being at the expense of the very good offer they give to our children, Lindboe says.
At the same time, she believes it is important that we have both private and municipal kindergartens.
– The private and the municipalities play each other well and create quality and diversity that benefits our children. We should take care of this and develop further in the years to come, she says.
– Without prop Norway
In last year’s and this year’s EPSI survey, parents have also been asked how they experience coping with the covid-19 pandemic.
In this area, too, kindergartens stand out in a positive direction.
– One of the things we have learned from the pandemic is that without kindergartens, Norway will stop. Both employees and managers in the kindergartens have gone to great lengths to provide as normal an offer as possible in a completely different normal situation, says Lindboe.