Evaluation of the realisation of ECEC for children the age of three and under (2026-2027)

The evaluation will take place between 2026 and 2027 and the site will be updated as the evaluation progresses.

This evaluation will be conducted to examine how ECEC for children under the age of three is realised in Finland. The previous evaluations implemented by FINEEC have indicated shortcomings in the pedagogy for children under the age of three. According to the results, the objectives set for e.g., play pedagogy, art education, linguistically rich interaction or activities encouraging exploration are not in all respects realised in ECEC for young children. Thus, several recent national experiments have focused on children over the age of three. At the same time, the active measures taken to increase the level of participation have also increased the proportion of children under the age of three in ECEC. The evaluation supports comprehensive development of ECEC by producing information on the current state of ECEC for the youngest children.

Current updates on the evaluation:

• The samples for the national evaluations for 2024–2027 were prepared in autumn 2024. All municipal early childhood education contact persons, as well as the management of private daycare chains and daycare directors, have been informed about inclusion in the sample. Questions related to the samples can be sent to: valssi@karvi.fi
   
• Karvi organized hearings in autumn 2025 to prepare for the evaluation. Thank you to everyone who participated in the hearings! Karvi will inform about the progress of the evaluation during spring 2026.
   
• The data collection for the evaluation will be carried out in October 2026. More information on preparing for national data collections and training days can be found in Valssi’s training materials: Linkki