Rett til en barnehageplass – med krav til god kvalitet? En evaluering av Ski kommunes helhetlige strategi for full barnehagedekning.

Ski municipality has developed a holistic strategy for full coverage in kindergartens where
quantity, quality and cost effectiveness are key principles. The new strategy entails changes in the sizes of children groups, establishment of permanent small groups, an enhanced role for the child carer, more responsibility for the nursery and childcare assistant and systematised exchange of experience and competence development. The change of the child-adult ratio in the kindergarten meant that three adults for a group of 18 children went to four adults for a group of 27 children, while the number at the day nursery went from three adults for a group of nine children to four adults for 14 children. The project is descriptive, aimed at evaluating efforts to establish full kindergarten coverage in the municipality.
The evaluation focuses on:
1) The core elements of the model; 2) The relationship between the municipal management and the management of each individual institution; 3) The identification of the key changes in the new model; 4) The changes in the roles of the pedagogical staff in the new model; 5) The changes in the roles of the non-pedagogical staff in the new model; 6) The relationship between the physical environment and the pedagogical work.

The results show that the municipality's model has a good pedagogical potential, and the combination of small groups of children affiliated with trained child carers as part of large groups of children is successful. The model renders the work of kindergartens less vulnerable to staff illness. Cross-sectional collaboration, pedagogical management and a good physical environment, indoors as well as outdoors, are crucial for the success of the model and to maintain quality after the change in the child-adult ratio. Other municipalities that may wish to use the model should therefore carefully consider it in relation to their own specific local conditions.

The study was conducted as an stakeholder attitude and opinion study as well as analysis of written municipal documents. The study includes three kindergartens in the municipality.
Qualitative face-to-face interviews with managements were conducted. In addition, focus group interviews were conducted and observations were recorded. An evening seminar was held with
the managements.

Pettersvold, M.; Aagre, W. (2008). Rett til en barnehageplass – med krav til god kvalitet? En evaluering av Ski kommunes helhetlige strategi for full barnehagedekning. Tønsberg: Høgskolen i Vestfold, Avdeling for lærerutdanning.