Purpose
The study investigates what kindergarten teachers experience as the most important aspects of their daily care practice for kindergarten children. In this way, the article is a contribution to describing and conceptualising the important caregiving task in kindergartens.
Result
The interviews reveal that the most important aspects of caring for kindergarten children can, on the one hand, be difficult to put into words because caregiving practices are largely practiced as tacit knowledge. On the other hand, caregiving includes some of the most important aspects of kindergarten education. Being a professional caregiver in kindergarten is therefore about being theoretically well-grounded, but just as much about investigating one’s own abilities to be present – reflective and authentic – in interactions with the children. At the same time, it is clear that caregiving for kindergarten children cannot be standardised.
Design
The article is based on five qualitative interviews with kindergarten educators in Danish kindergartens. Three of the interviews took place as individual interviews with educators from the same kindergarten, and two of the interviews took place as group interviews with educators from another kindergarten. Three educators participated in each group interview. In total, five educators, two kindergarten coordinators, one assistant and one student kindergarten teacher participated in the interviews. The interviews were analysed using developmental psychology theory.
References
Gitz-Johansen, T. (2022). Omsorgsøjeblikke: Vuggestuepædagogers tavse viden om omsorg. Dansk Pædagogisk Tidsskrift, 2022.