Early childhood education is a relatively new term that came into broader use in Finland after the reform of the Early Childhood Education Act in 2016. Before that, the term daycare was more commonly used.
Early childhood education refers to a planned and goal-oriented combination of care, education, and teaching, with a particular emphasis on pedagogy.
In municipalities, early childhood education is now part of the education sector, whereas daycare used to fall under social services. For very young children, care and nurturing are the most important aspects of a good day, but as the child grows, education and teaching become more central in early childhood education.
Read more: Early childhood education at Pilke daycare centres