”Åpne barnehager i Norge. Organisering, bruk og betydning”.

This report presents the results from a report on staffed playgroups (for children and their parents/guardians) in Norway. The purpose of the report is to provide an overview of the organisation of staffed playgroups and to describe the staffed playgroups offered. Moreover, the purpose is to examine who uses staffed playgroups as well as the significance of staffed playgroups to the users (e.g. parents and grandparents). Haugset & Sivertsen (2014) documents the data collection and conducts additional analyses on the same data basis.

In this study, the scope of playgroups means the number of playgroups, how many children the playgroup is approved to receive, actual use/attendance, opening hours and number of employees. The estimated number of staffed playgroups in Norway is 184-222. The 132 playgroups which answered questions about capacity in the questionnaire have a total capacity of 3,940 children. It was not possible to calculate the actual use, because the playgroups calculate how many use the facility in different ways. The majority of playgroups are open for 10-11 months a year, and they are typically open from 9am to 3pm. On average, they have just over two employees, corresponding to 0.9 fulltime equivalents. As many as 90% of the playgroups have one preschool teacher employed. A total of 7% employ other pedagogical staff (child welfare workers, special educational needs teachers, etc.).

The study examined ownership and organisation of the playgroups, and it shows that municipal playgroups and playgroups owned by a church parish or a religious congregation constitute 49% and 30% of the playgroups in the study, respectively. The remaining playgroups are run by different types of associations, e.g. parent-run associations or individuals. About 1/3 of the staffed playgroups are a department in, or part of, an ordinary preschool. Similarly, the playgroups work closely with local Norwegian health centres ("helsestation"). A total of 60% of the staffed playgroups charge a fee for participation in the playgroup, participation in special activities, food or materials used by the playgroup. As many as 93% of the playgroups receive an operating subsidy from the municipality in accordance with the regulations in the Norwegian Kindergarten Act ("barnehageloven").

More than 70% of the playgroups offer weekly common meals, circle time, singing, etc. Outdoor play and field trips are regular activities in 35% of the playgroups.

About 60% of the users are regular users, i.e. they come at least once a week for at least two months. A total of 29% of the users are foreign language users (the study defines foreign language users as native speakers of languages other than Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Sami or English).

The study suggests that playgroups are important for users and for society as a whole because both children and their parents meet other people, and this is particularly important for families who do not have a Norwegian background or Norwegian as their native language. Staffed playgroups satisfy the need to meet users of the same cultural and language background. The unique opportunity to receive parent guidance and to offer early intervention to families who are struggling is also important. Many of the respondents indicate that the importance of staffed playgroups should not be reduced to "a warm up" for regular preschool; staffed playgroups differ qualitatively from regular preschools.

The study is based on responses to an electronic questionnaire sent to all registered staffed playgroups in Norway. The main objective of the questionnaire survey is to gain an overview of organisational, formal and "measurable" facts about all staffed playgroups. Out of the 222 playgroups which received the questionnaire, 160 completed the questionnaire. The respondents were central persons in the staffed playgroups, e.g. a manager or a preschool teacher who was familiar with the daily operations.

Moreover, the study is based on in-depth interviews and visits to the playgroups. The purpose of the more in-depth interviews and visits to selected playgroups was to present the users' incentives to use playgroups and their experience of the playgroups as well as to provide a more detailed insight into the results of the questionnaire survey. The researchers visited and conducted interviews at a total of six playgroups. Four of the playgroups were selected because they were believed to be particularly able to elucidate themes such as integration of foreign language users and to illustrate mechanisms by which children are recruited from staffed playgroups to regular preschools. The data was collected using semi-structured and structured interviews, observations and collection of relevant documents (e.g. annual learning/content plans). A total of ten preschool teachers and 36 users were interviewed.

Haugset, A., Gotvassli, K., Ljunggren, B. & Stene, M. (2014). ”Åpne barnehager i Norge. Organisering, bruk og betydning”. Rapport 2014:9. Steinkjer: Trøndelag Forskning og Utvikling.