School attendance among preschool children of diverse backgrounds and teachers’ collaboration with parents during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

In the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the Icelandic authorities responded to the public health threat by imposing restrictions, including a ban on gatherings of more than 20 people. Such restrictions required school administrators to adapt the operations and practices of their schools to the new reality. In preschools, the standard practice involved inviting children to attend preschool part-time, either on fewer days of the week or for fewer hours in the day. Albeit necessary, temporary school closures disrupt the lives of children and their families and can adversely affect their education, well-being and social relations, especially regarding children in vulnerable groups in society.

The benefits of quality preschool education are indisputable. Preschools play a pivotal role in Icelandic society, where they are regarded as part of the education system and where children spend most days with their peers and educators. Preschools are particularly important for children of foreign background, and because immigration into Iceland has risen in the past few decades, preschools there have become more culturally diverse. In general, preschools are often the first stop for families arriving in new countries and sometimes referred to as the windows into their new societies. In turn, quality preschool education emphasising the strengths and experiences of children and collaboration with their families can be crucial in creating equity for children of foreign origin.

The study presented here had the aim of providing insight into the school attendance of preschool children of diverse language and cultural backgrounds, as well as into the cooperation of preschool staff with parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used data from a questionnaire survey conducted by the Educational Research Institute in the School of Education at the University of Iceland in June 2020 and a focus group study conducted in August and September 2020 — that is, when the first wave of COVID-19 had passed. The questionnaire was sent to the public emails of 248 preschools, while the focus groups involved the participation of educators from six preschools. In total, 172 administrators answered the questionnaire, and 18 educators participated in the focus groups.

The findings indicate considerable restrictions on children’s attendance in preschools during the first wave of COVID-19 and several changes that had to be made to everyday plans and practices. The educators reported that with fewer children in the preschool, the atmosphere became relaxed, and opportunities to attend to individual children expanded. At the same time, the children’s social relations became restricted, and many missed their friends who were not simultaneously attending preschool with them. Children of foreign origin were less likely to attend preschools than their peers in other groups during the ban on gatherings. Beyond that, the focus group interviews revealed that some parents of foreign background relied on information about responses to the pandemic from their home countries, not the guidelines of Icelandic authorities, which underscores the importance of providing better information to those parents. Among other findings, collaboration between the preschool staff and the children’s families changed during the ban on gatherings. Not only did daily informal discussions between parents and educators dramatically decrease; parents’ participation in preschool activities decreased as well. Contrary to those trends, quality preschool education depends on well-educated staff who establish trusting relationships with each child and involves adult-planned practices in addition to play and collaboration with families. Added to that, the preschool is an important venue for developing democracy where children of diverse backgrounds learn to work together. From the findings, however, the restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic have prompted changes to the daily practices of preschools that have impacted, sometimes negatively, the educational and social role of preschools in Iceland.