Dissertation: Structures and children's everyday life in early childhood education transitions (Harju)
Transitions in early childhood education are not always easy for children, and can challenge both their experience of belonging to a group and their relationships with friends. Research by Kaisa Harju who examined transitions in early childhood education in her doctoral thesis, showed that the way early childhood education is organised is linked to the kind of transitions children make.
Decisions taken by municipalities play an important role, as they ultimately determine how the regulations governing the organisation of early childhood education and care are implemented in children's everyday lives.
"Transitions can be influenced by the design of the group structure of day-care centres and by municipal policies on early childhood education and care," says Harju.
Kindergarten occupancy rates drive the chain of transitions
A concrete example of influencing transitions is the occupancy rate of nursery schools. If nurseries are always full, a new starter can set off an unforeseen chain of dominant transitions in the nursery.
"In some cases, a place for a child has to be arranged by law within a couple of weeks at any point of the year. In a crowded kindergarten, moving children between groups may be the only way to make room for a newcomer," says Harju.
Children around three years old are more likely to be moved, as changes in ratios and group sizes linked to their third birthday free up resources. Resources are freed up because in the Finnish system a three-year-old can be placed in a larger group with fewer adults in relation to the number of children.
"There could also be a national reflection on whether there should be a limit on the occupancy rate of nursery schools. That would at least help to control unforeseen shifts," Harju suggests.
Unforeseen transfers challenge the assessment of the best interests of the child
When there are unforeseen transfers, the pressure to provide a place for a new starter can challenge the pedagogical justification of the transfers and the genuine assessment of the best interests of the child. Decisions on child transitions are made under the pressure of the constraints of the operational framework and the assessment of the best interests of the child.
"From the child's point of view, transitions always reorganise the early childhood education and care system, and changes are not easy for everyone. Sometimes the transfer of an important friend to a new group can be a significant transition experience for a child, even if the child remains in the same group as before. This is an indirect transition, which is not always easy to identify," says Harju.
However, it is always important to recognise and support transitions, because while transitions are opportunities to make new friends and learn new things, they also carry risks of exclusion and inequality," Harju points out.
Kaisa Harju's PhD thesis "Tracing Children's Transitions in Early Childhood Education and Care: A Relational-Spatial Perspective" will be examined on 5 September 2025 at 12 noon at the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥. The dissertation can be followed in room S212 or online. Professor Tuija Turunen (University of Lapland) will act as opponent and Professor Niina Rutanen (Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥) as custos. The language of the dissertation is Finnish.
The dissertation can be followed online at .
The dissertation is freely available in the JYX publication archive: .
For further information, please contact
Kaisa Harju, Dissertation Researcher JYU
tel. 045 137 48 11
kaisa.m.harju@jyu.fi
This press release has been translated with the help of AI.
