The development of preschools in Iceland

• Main Authors: Einarsdóttir, Jóhanna, Hreinsdóttir, Anna Magnea
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Icelandic
• Published: Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands 2022
• Subjects: preschool; schoolification; policy; practices; leikskóli; bóknámsrek; gæsla eða skóli; stefna; starfshættir; Iceland
• Online Access: https://ojs.hi.is/index.php/netla/article/view/3602

In 2006, Dr Jón Torfi Jónasson published Frá gæslu til skóla: Um þróun leikskóla á Íslandi [From Caregiving to School: On the Development of Preschools in Iceland], a book that analyses the development of Iceland’s preschool system from various perspectives and discusses both the stability of the discourse about preschool and conflicting views on preschools. Addressing the concept of so-called “schoolification” in relation to the history of preschool education in Iceland, the book also examines the formal framework and practices of preschools in the country as well as preschool teacher education.In the 16 years since the book’s publication, the population of children in Iceland’s preschools has become increasingly diverse. In response, policymakers, administrative leaders, principals, and preschool teachers have increasingly had to adjust policy and preschool practices for diverse groups of children. In parallel, preschool teacher education has evolved significantly in the country, and working as a preschool teacher now requires a master’s degree.This article reflects on some of the trends that Jónasson observed 16 years ago, guided by the questions of what has happened in preschools in Iceland during that period and in what direction the preschools are headed. On the one hand, the article examines external factors, including recent social changes in Iceland, developments in the country’s preschool teacher education and public policy regarding preschool education. To that end, public policy documents from the last 16 years are analysed to identify changes as well as consistency in such trends in preschools. On the other hand, it also focuses on internal factors by analysing how public policy has or has not influenced preschool practice. For that purpose, research conducted in preschools in Iceland in recent decades is examined.In keeping with Jónasson’s book, the article elaborates on preschools as places for education and caregiving (gæsla) and argues that they have to be both. With reference to the concept of ...