Chains of care

Abstract

More and more children, even the young ones from the age of one year, attend day care on a regular basis. To investigate how small children are taken care of and live their everyday life in Norway today, and how barnehage is included in their lives, a sample of families were followed from when the children were age one until close to three. The barnehage is seen as a link in the chain of care, for which the parents are the responsible ones. The barnehage thus implies an expansion of parenthood, with specific challenges. The family of one of the children, Adam, has been chosen for the presentation. Seeking information, providing Adam with the equipment and skills that seemed to be necessary of Adams parents and building personal relations with the professional care providers were among the strategies to ensure a high-quality care arrangement. It constitutes parenthood in a way that a) incorporates the life of the child at home and in day care, both practically as well as mentally, b) includes the parents' understandings of their own child as the child appears through daily routines and c) makes visible the relevant context for the making and remaking of their standards of care.

Early childcare as arenas of inclusion: the contribution of staff to recognising parents with refugee backgrounds as significant stakeholders

“…Their children made friends, learnt the Norwegian language and culture, started their adaption process into the majority's habitus and got prepared for school and life in Norway. Hence, one reason for the expressed satisfaction might be that they saw that their children were safe, happy, and cared for by the staff, which is in accordance to other parents main concerns (Andenaes 2011;De Gioia 2015;Van Laere, and Vandenbroeck 2017;Vuorinen 2018;Sønsthagen 2018). Considering that the parents knew little about what the pedagogical content of early childcare should be, and that they received little information about the child's day, one wonders how they could sufficiently contribute to the early childcare community.…”

“…It has also been evident that parents from minority backgrounds have little knowledge about the daily practices of early childcare; at the same time, they show an eagerness to know more (Van Laere, Van Houtte, and Vandenbroeck 2018). The main concern of parents is the proper care and supervision of their children, as well as if their children are learning the dominant language and social-emotional skills (Andenaes 2011;De Gioia 2015;Van Laere and Vandenbroeck 2017;Vuorinen 2018;Sønsthagen 2018). The importance of a common language for interactions between staff and parents has also been illustrated (De Gioia 2013).…”

Kindergarten Practice: The Situated Socialization of Minority Parents

“…As much as 70% of the staff agreed on the importance of parents adapting to the rules of the kindergarten as quickly as possible (Andersen et al, 2011). But adapting to the rules of the kindergarten can be a tall order to some parents, especially in the start-up period, and even more, if the parents have a minority background (Andenaes, 2011;Bundgaard & Gulløv, 2008). In the interview study of Andenaes (2011) an immigrant mother explains that she finds delivering and picking up at day care difficult:…”

Young children in day and night care: negotiating and constructing belonging during daily arrivals

“…These transitions are accompanied by a switch between two cultures that may differ from each other: the culture of the child's family and the culture of the day care centre (see Andenaes, 2011). The two cultures may entail distinct values, beliefs and practices, as Hughes, Greenhough, Yee and Andrews (2010) have discussed with respect to daily transitions between home and school.…”