Nordic Evidence Based High Quality Early Childhood Education and Care Research Network for Social Justice

High Quality Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) is central to children’s development and learning and represents great potential in the effort to build equal and resilient democratic societies based on social justice.

Yet there is substantial variability in ECEC quality in the Nordic countries, and there is a significant need for increased research efforts to inform policy on how to establish high quality ECEC for all children.

Because there are similarities and differences in terms of ECEC policy, research, and practice in Norway, Sweden, and Finland, increased international collaboration and joint research is an important next step.

The aim of this network of Nordic ECEC researchers is therefore to strengthen research on evidence-based high quality preschool practice and to identify synergies through applied multi-disciplinary intervention research.Objectives:Undertake a comparative analysis of ECEC policies supporting high quality ECECIdentify evidence-based best practices for high quality ECEC with an emphasis on socioeconomically challenged areasReview existing assessment tools to support the design, monitoring, and evaluation of high-quality ECECBuild the foundation for a permanent Nordic network on high quality ECECThe network group is composed of ECEC researchers from Stockholm, Gothenburg, Uppsala, Jyväskylä and Stavanger Universities.

Planned activities include 5 workshops, scientific articles, an EU Horizon application, and a Nordic conference.