The first time in kindergarten

The aim of the study was to survey parents’ and day care workers’ thoughts and experiences about young children (0-3 years) starting in day-care. The purpose was to find out how day-care worker and parents can help the child to adapt in day care center. This subject is related to developing early childhood education and care in Finland.

This thesis is a qualitative study. The data was collected by interviewing four parents from a day-care center’s 0-3 years-old children’s group and three day-care workers from the same group. Parents were interviewed individually and day-care workers as a group. The interview method was a theme interview. The data was 16 pages long and it was analyzed by themes. The theoretical framework of this thesis is attachment theory, early interaction, child’s physical and mental development and partnership in day-care.

The research questions were 1) What kind of experiences, thoughts and beliefs parents and day-care workers have about small children starting in day-care? 2) How can parents and day-care workers help a small child to adapt in day-care? 3) What kind of experiences, thoughts and beliefs parents and day-care workers have about starting partnership together?

The results from the interviews showed that parents mostly did not have any expectations about day-care, except from their own children. Their attitude to children starting in day-care depended on, was the child first-born, how old was the child and what things had influenced in the decision to take the child in to day-care.

Many different things influence on how the child adapts to the day-care. Especially for a young child it is very important to become familiar with the day-care, the familiar and safe adults and also to learn to predict the day care routines. Also the relations between the parents and the day-care workers are important. If parents cannot trust the day-care workers the child cannot feel comfortable and safe at the kindergarten.

All parents that I interviewed told that the starting in day-care went well. The staff had re-ceived them well and the trust had formed between them. The first meeting in day-care cen-ter is very important because children can be many years at the day-care. If there are problems in the first meeting and the trust is not formed, it is very difficult to parents and day-care workers to work in partnership.