Tekijät

• Alasuutari, Maarit (University of Jyväskylä)
• Sulkanen, Mimmu (University of Jyväskylä)
• Räikkönen, Eija (University of Jyväskylä)
• Lammi-Taskula, Johanna (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare)
• Närvi, Johanna (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare)

Asiasanat

child care, child day care, child development, children, covid-19, early childhood, families, family life, parental role, parents, pre-primary education, well-being (society)

Sisällön kuvaus

The survey examined the circumstances of families in Finland with five-year-old children regarding arrangements for early childhood education and childcare, health and development, and family life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guardians were asked about these themes at three time points: at the time of response (November 2020-January 2021), during the COVID-19 state of emergency in spring 2020, and in January 2020 prior to the state of emergency. The information for all three time points was collected retrospectively in a single survey.

First, respondents were asked about their five-year-old child's childcare and early childhood education arrangements at different time points, their satisfaction with these arrangements, any changes that occurred, and the reasons for those changes. In addition, respondents were asked about their employment situation and changes during the state of emergency due to COVID-19, such as changes of workplace, working hours, and the increase in remote work.

Next, respondents were asked about their own and their child's health, as well as their use of services intended for families. They were also asked about work-family balance, the division of labor between spouses, and parenting. Finally, respondents were asked about their views on the COVID-19 pandemic and early childhood education measures during the pandemic.

Background variables include, among others, the respondent's age group, gender, type of municipality, region of residence, marital status, family composition, and household income, as well as the respondent's and spouse's level of education, economic activity, and employment-related information. Background information on the five-year-old child includes, among others, gender, year of birth, and living arrangements.