Search results for "childcare"

Socioecological correlates of perceived motor competence in 5- to 7-year-old Finnish children

2019

We investigated child, family, and environmental factors associated with young children's perceptions of locomotor (LM) and object control (OC) skills. The participants comprised 472 children (6.22 ± 0.63) and their parents. The children were assessed for their perception of motor competence in LM and OC skills (using the pictorial scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence for young children), and actual motor competence (Test of Gross Motor Development 3rd edition and Körperkoordinationstest Für Kinder). Anthropometrics were calculated using the children's body mass index standard deviation scores. A parent questionnaire included questions about child factors (sex, child's independent w…

Choosing to Work? Mothers Return-to-Work Decisions, Social Class, and the Local Labor Market

2015

The aim of this study is to examine the ways in which social class shapes the return-to-work decisions of Finnish working-class and middle-class mothers, and how these decisions are structured by the constraints and opportunities mothers face in the local labor market. The focus of the study is in the local labor market of the city of Jyväskylä. The data consist of two semi-structured focus group interviews of 14 employed mothers of below school-age children. Using the framework of “gendered moral rationalities,” the study shows that there are similarities in mothers’ experiences, while the structural constraints mothers faced when deciding about the timing of returning back to work differ.…

A comparison of physical activity levels in childcare contexts among Finnish and Dutch three-year-olds

2016

The aim of the current study was to determine Finnish and Dutch three-year-old preschool children's physical activity (PA) levels and how levels vary across gender, location, time of day and social contexts in both countries. A modified version of the Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children-Preschool (OSRAC-P) was used to measure children's PA levels and contextual variables (e.g. group composition, prompts) of children attending childcare centres in Finland and the Netherlands. In total, 90 Finnish children (46 boys and 44 girls) and 97 Dutch children (46 boys and 51 girls) were observed. Three-level linear regression analyses with cross level interactions were use…

Local childcare policy and the changing gender contract

2018

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the changes in local childcare policy that have taken place between the years 2008 and 2016 in the city of Jyväskylä, Finland, and to study how the local gender contract for women is being reshaped via these transformations in local policy. Design/methodology/approach Case study was applied as a research strategy. Local and national level statistics were used to explore the use of childcare services. Documents regarding the decision-making and administration of childcare in the city were analysed to distinguish the local policy changes during the time period. These documents include city budgets and records from the two municipal boards that …

Always on the move? Measured physical activity of 3-year-old preschool children

2015

Childcare and parental work schedules: a comparison of childcare arrangements among Finnish, British and Dutch dual-earner families

2015

This study examined the association between parental work schedules and non-parental childcare arrangements among dual-earner families in Finland, the Netherlands and the UK. Data from the ‘Families 24/7’ web-survey were used, including 937 parents with children aged 0-12 years. Results showed a negative association between non-standard work and formal childcare across all countries. A similar association was found for using a combination of formal and informal childcare, whereas solely using informal childcare was not associated with work characteristics. Country differences showed that, compared with Finland, the probability of using formal childcare was lower in the Netherlands, whereas …

A Comparison of Physical Activity Levels in Childcare Contexts among Finnish and Dutch 3-Year-Olds

2016

The aim of the current study was to determine Finnish and Dutch three-year-old preschool children’s physical activity (PA) levels and how levels vary across gender, location, time of day and social contexts in both countries. A modified version of the Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children-Preschool (OSRAC-P) was used to measure children’s PA levels and contextual variables (e.g. group composition, prompts) of children attending childcare centres in Finland and the Netherlands. In total, 90 Finnish children (46 boys and 44 girls) and 97 Dutch children (46 boys and 51 girls) were observed. Three-level linear regression analyses with cross level interactions were use…

Profil współczesnej opiekunki małych dzieci

2017

Ostatnie lata przynoszą duże zainteresowanie problematyką pozarodzinnej opieki nad małym dzieckiem. Poszukując najlepszych rozwiązań w tym zakresie nie sposób pominąć instytucji opiekunki dziecięcej, która od wielu lat na trwale wpisuje się w ów system. W publikacji podjęto temat niani, zarówno w płaszczyźnie teoretycznej, z uwzględnieniem rysu historycznego a także uregulowań prawnych, jak i badawczego - przeanalizowano 98 ofert, które w ostatnich dwóch latach pojawiły się na portalu internetowym www.niania/pl/opiekunka/opole. Ich analiza pozwoliła nakreślić profil rozwojowy współczesnej opiekunki małych dzieci jako osoby młodej, wykształconej, z pewnym doświadczeniem zawodowym, gotową wyk…

Family and work-related risk factors in children's social–emotional well-being and parent–educator cooperation in flexibly scheduled early childhood …

2023

Non-standard work schedules (NSWS) have become typical, but their associations with childcare arrangements and children's well-being are unknown. This study explores how risk factors are associated with the social–emotional well-being of girls and boys using flexibly scheduled early childhood education and care. Furthermore, the study investigates whether well-functioning cooperation between parents and educators buffers the negative effects of the risk factors. This study, which is a part of a larger survey carried out in three European countries, reports Finnish parents' (N = 146) perspectives. The results showed that high parental stress was associated with low child well-being. Strong p…

Socioecological correlates of perceived motor competence in 5- to 7-year-old Finnish children

2019

We investigated child, family, and environmental factors associated with young children’s perceptions of locomotor (LM) and object control (OC) skills. The participants comprised 472 children (6.22 ± 0.63) and their parents. The children were assessed for their perception of motor competence in LM and OC skills (using the pictorial scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence for young children), and actual motor competence (Test of Gross Motor Development 3rd edition and Körperkoordinationstest Für Kinder). Anthropometrics were calculated using the children’s body mass index standard deviation scores. A parent questionnaire included questions about child factors (sex, child’s independent w…