Support for your child’s development and learning is provided in Vaasa as part of the daily activities of Early Childhood Education and Care.
Your child is given support primarily through various arrangements in their own daycare or family daycare group. The support provided to your child should be flexible and planned, and it is assessed regularly. Your child receives support for as long and to the extent and in the form they need it
The task of Early Childhood Education and Care is to support your child’s positive development in cooperation with you and the staff. The goal is to identify your child’s need for support as early as possible and to offer appropriate forms of support.
To promote your child’s development and learning opportunities, Early Childhood Education and Care activities and the learning environment are adapted to their needs. Your child’s positive self-image and experiences of success in learning are supported by an encouraging and reinforcing learning environment.
If your child is in a daycare centre or family daycare, an individual early childhood education and care plan is drawn up for them. The plan shows how your child’s upbringing, education and care are implemented. It also records any support needs your child may have, the support measures and how they are implemented in everyday life.
There are three different levels of support: general, intensified and special support. Timely support promotes your child’s development, learning and well-being. Early support also prevents exclusion and the escalation and complication of challenges.
The size of the child group can be reduced if there is one or more children in the group who need support. Alternatively, an assistant may be hired for the group where possible.
The Early Childhood Education and Care staff, together with the child’s guardians where necessary, also cooperate with other specialists, such as the child and family clinic, psychologist, doctor, therapist and social services when planning and arranging your child’s support needs.
Support services offered to your child are formed into a whole, and a multidisciplinary network cooperates to support your child’s holistic growth, well-being and development and to identify the need for support.
The City of Vaasa employs 20 special education teachers in Early Childhood Education and Care, one of whom serves as the head special education teacher for Early Childhood Education and Care. Each Early Childhood Education and Care unit has the opportunity to use the services of a special education teacher. The special education teacher:
- provides instruction in groups of different sizes or individually
- organises co-teaching together with the group’s teacher
- assesses your child’s need for support in collaboration with guardians and the group’s staff
- cooperates with you, Early Childhood Education and Care staff and other specialists
- provides support and guidance for planning and implementing your child’s care, upbringing and learning.
Contact the group’s teacher or the special education teacher if you want to discuss your child’s learning, upbringing or care support.
etunimi.sukunimi@edu.vaasa.fi
The City of Vaasa’s Early Childhood Education and Care, in cooperation with Åbo Akademi, has piloted co-teaching between early childhood education teachers and special education teachers since 2022.
Based on the experiences and research results from the project, a co-teaching handbook for the City of Vaasa’s Early Childhood Education and Care has been prepared.
The handbook is intended for professionals in Early Childhood Education and Care and pre-primary education, students in the field, and for you if you are otherwise interested in the subject.