Early childhood education and care in Denmark: A Social Investment Success
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Early childhood education and care in Denmark : A Social Investment Success. / Larsen, Trine Pernille; de la Porte, Caroline Anne.
Successful Public Policy in the Nordic Countries. ed. / Caroline De a Porte; Guðný Björk Eydal; Jaakko Kauko; Daniel Nohrstedt; Paul 't Hart; Bent Sofus Tranøy. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2022. p. 66-87.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review
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TY - CHAP
T1 - Early childhood education and care in Denmark
T2 - A Social Investment Success
AU - Larsen, Trine Pernille
AU - de la Porte, Caroline Anne
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - This study examines why Denmark is considered the leader among the Nordic countries and globally when it comes to childcare. In terms of programmatic success, Denmark is a pioneer in nationwide ECEC (early childhood education and care), including social investment, which focuses on learning capabilities and skills of children. The implementation of ECEC nationwide is well organized, and the take-up of ECEC is evenly spread geographically and across social classes. Danish ECEC is also a clear political success, as political parties from the left to the right of the political spectrum, and at central and local levels of government, have supported ECEC, from the 1970s onwards; furthermore, stakeholders have been involved in setting agendas for continued high-quality ECEC as part of Danish family-, childcare- and labour market policy. Linked to the political success, Danish ECEC has also been a clear process success, with incremental reforms by broad-based coalitions, which have been carried out without major obstacles. The Danish system of ECEC has endured over several decades, despite changes at the margin due to challenges, including financial crises. The endurance is likely to continue well into the future, because of the cap on parental own contribution to the costs of ECEC, and because there has been a political decision to have a minimum threshold for quality of care in 2019. Across both sides of the Atlantic, in the EU context and in the US, childcare in Denmark is considered as a poster-child.
AB - This study examines why Denmark is considered the leader among the Nordic countries and globally when it comes to childcare. In terms of programmatic success, Denmark is a pioneer in nationwide ECEC (early childhood education and care), including social investment, which focuses on learning capabilities and skills of children. The implementation of ECEC nationwide is well organized, and the take-up of ECEC is evenly spread geographically and across social classes. Danish ECEC is also a clear political success, as political parties from the left to the right of the political spectrum, and at central and local levels of government, have supported ECEC, from the 1970s onwards; furthermore, stakeholders have been involved in setting agendas for continued high-quality ECEC as part of Danish family-, childcare- and labour market policy. Linked to the political success, Danish ECEC has also been a clear process success, with incremental reforms by broad-based coalitions, which have been carried out without major obstacles. The Danish system of ECEC has endured over several decades, despite changes at the margin due to challenges, including financial crises. The endurance is likely to continue well into the future, because of the cap on parental own contribution to the costs of ECEC, and because there has been a political decision to have a minimum threshold for quality of care in 2019. Across both sides of the Atlantic, in the EU context and in the US, childcare in Denmark is considered as a poster-child.
KW - Faculty of Social Sciences
KW - public policy
KW - public administration
KW - Nordic
KW - reform
KW - policy success
KW - Nordic model
KW - policy evaluation
U2 - 10.1093/oso/9780192856296.003.0004
DO - 10.1093/oso/9780192856296.003.0004
M3 - Book chapter
SN - 9780192856296
SP - 66
EP - 87
BT - Successful Public Policy in the Nordic Countries
A2 - De a Porte, Caroline
A2 - Eydal, Guðný Björk
A2 - Kauko, Jaakko
A2 - Nohrstedt, Daniel
A2 - 't Hart, Paul
A2 - Tranøy, Bent Sofus
PB - Oxford University Press
CY - Oxford
ER -
ID: 323198348