Quality management in early childhood education and care 2026
The evaluation was conducted in 2025–2026 using Valssi, the national quality evaluation system for early childhood education and care (ECEC). Valssi is maintained by FINEEC. The evaluation examined the current state of quality management among municipal and private ECEC providers. The data consisted of responses from 850 ECEC leaders and experts and 6,731 ECEC staff members across Finland.
Quality management in ECEC has become increasingly systematic and goal-oriented in recent years, and evaluation has become an established part of everyday practices in many organisations. Key strengths include setting common goals, systematic development of activities and shared evaluation practices. Development needs were identified particularly in the systematic use of evaluation information, the division of responsibilities in quality management, and staff participation and evaluation competence. Valssi has become established particularly in municipal ECEC and has contributed to making evaluation more systematic and process-oriented.
The evaluation results were published at a webinar held on 24 September 2026.
Janniina Vlasov
