Mansikkala's early childhood education and preschool pedagogical plan

The pedagogical plan of the early childhood education unit of the Mansikkala school center

Our unit will consist of several existing early childhood education units and services. The plan will develop and be supplemented when the planning of the unit's operations with the personnel starts.

1. Starting points for future activities

Our unit's services are characterized by round-the-clock early childhood education. The whole is made up of back-up care for family day care, open early childhood education, day care, day care and preschool education. The child moves flexibly and as needed from one service to another within the unit.

Our unit's operating culture and services are flexibly developed to meet the different, individual needs of children and families. Guardians' views, initiatives and opinions are valued and their participation is supported; we convey information about the child's day to the parents in different ways, e.g. with systematic documentation, pictures and videos. Parents get a more accurate picture of their child's early childhood education day.

The child is an active actor. Learning is holistic and happens everywhere. The child feels included and has suitably challenging activities.. We want to create an atmosphere that supports the well-being of both children and adults and the joy of learning.

Children of different ages working together supports children's learning and maintains a sense of community. In our unit, children of different ages working together means that a group of children under the age of three works together with a group of children aged 3-5. We also want to develop activities where children of early childhood education age work together with school children.

In our operating culture, we value learning together, experimentation and readiness for change. For example, digitalization is developing rapidly both as a tool for children's activities, as a tool for adults' work, and as a tool for parents' involvement. This development is a challenge and an opportunity.

2. Cooperation within the Mansikkala school center

Experts from many fields work at the Mansikkala school center. We hope it enables new forms of cooperation that support the well-being of customers. We also want to develop activities where children of early childhood education age work together with school children. The early childhood special education teacher is integrally involved in the unit's everyday life, ensuring the timeliness of early support.

3. The distinctiveness of shift care

The most visible feature of the unit's operation is its 24-hour opening, seven days a week throughout the year. Because of this:

• the number of staff is greater than in the "daycare unit"  
• different working time forms are in use
• the changes and variability of children's care needs is great
• with families, individual solutions are built according to the needs of the child and the family.
• the unit will serve not only those who regularly use shift care, but also temporary shift needs and Ruokolahti's weekend and night care.

4. Participation

Parents' involvement is made possible by the fact that parents know about their child's everyday life in early childhood education. We are developing structures with which this information is transmitted (big possibilities of digitization)

We strive to ensure that the maintenance and development of inclusion structures becomes a conscious activity of the personnel. Inclusion is supported by the staff's skill in sensitive interaction.

5. Facilities / learning environments

In our unit, children of different ages work together, so flexible transitions between different spaces (including the yard area and the surrounding environment) and spaces where you work together must be taken into account. The premises must meet the requirements of round-the-clock operation: the possibility of safe and peaceful rest also at night and eating in the evenings.