Children and young people with an immigrant background contribute to multiculturalism and multilingualism and provide new perspectives

“We involve everyone from the very beginning of the education path, as early childhood education and pre-primary education support children’s later school studies. Our goal is to halve the learning gap between children and young people with an immigrant background and the native population, which means that no child or young person is left behind, no matter their circumstances. At the same time, we aim to ensure that the learning results of Finnish- and Swedish-speaking children remain at a very high national level. We engage in close and goal-oriented cooperation with guardians for the benefit of children and young people, with the aim of supporting their well-being and learning together,” he continues.

The Growth and Learning Sector of Espoo also includes Youth Services. The City’s youth workers are experienced integrators and interacting with young people with an immigrant background is an integral part of their education as well.

In Finland, all children have the right to early childhood education and care from the age of nine months onwards. Taking place before pre-primary education, early childhood education is also a high-quality, planned activity, in which children learn Finnish or Swedish, get to know the local culture, develop their social skills, make friends, and gain various experiences. Participating in early childhood education also supports children on their later education path. For example, according to a recent study conducted pin Espoo, participation in early childhood education improves a child's literacy at a later age.

“Joining the local environment through early childhood education ensures that integration gets off on the right foot,” says Early Childhood Education Service Coordinator Arja Filpus.

“If the child does not yet speak or understand Finnish or Swedish, early childhood education will be supported through gestures, pictures, baby sign language or drawings,” says Early Childhood Education Specialist Mona Laaksonen.

A great deal of attention is paid to creating an accepting and unhurried interaction culture. All groups use clear and grammatically correct language, which supports language development. The learning of the teaching language is systematically supported as part of daily pedagogy. To support the assessment and planning of language-conscious pedagogy, the staff make use of the KieliPeda tool. KieliPeda is also used to monitor children’s Finnish language learning.

During early childhood education, children learn about other cultures, different customs, celebrations and traditions, among others. One of the key operating methods is play. The aim is to also highlight the cultures of the children’s families in the activities. To this end the staff engage in close cooperation with parents, and families can also come to talk about their own traditions and celebrations, if they want.

If the language skills of a child starting pre-primary education are not yet sufficient for pre-primary or primary and lower secondary education (basic education), the child can participate in preparatory education for basic education. The early childhood education staff will discuss the need for preparatory education with the child’s guardian and provide them with instructions on how to enrol their child in preparatory education. Preparatory education for Finnish-language basic education for children of pre-primary education age is provided inclusively in pre-primary education groups at municipal daycare centres and some schools in different parts of Espoo. Preparatory education for Swedish-language basic education is carried out in basic education.

If a child or young person moves to Finland at basic education age, their integration and education will be supported through preparatory education. At this stage, the main focus is on learning Finnish or Swedish. 

“The importance of language learning during preparatory education cannot be overstated, but one should also keep in mind that the school is not the only place for language learning. Life outside the school is also very important for children and young people. They need friends with whom they can speak Finnish or Swedish and integrate into our culture," says Basic Education Planner Päivi Kakko.

During preparatory education, school-aged children learn skills that they will need both in everyday life and at school.

The contents of the subjects are selected so that they support the pupil’s transition to mainstream education. A pupil enrolled in preparatory education is provided with a personal curriculum, which is drawn up in cooperation with the child’s guardian. The personal curriculum is drawn up within three months of the start of preparatory education. At the end of preparatory education, the pupil will move to mainstream education, where they will be provided with the support they need to learn Finnish/Swedish and with language-conscious instruction in all subjects. The pupil is also encouraged to participate in their own mother tongue studies.

Espoo offers two different types of preparatory education for basic education in Finnish and one type of preparatory education for basic education in Swedish:

• Finnish-language small groups (group-form preparatory education)

Studying in a dedicated preparatory education group is ideal for pupils who do not yet speak Finnish or Swedish. Most subjects are taught by a preparatory education teacher with an assistant.

• Finnish-language mainstream education groups (inclusive preparatory education)

A pupil of 1st or 2nd grade age who already speaks some Finnish or Swedish can be integrated into a mainstream education class. The school will organise resources to support the pupil, in which case in some classes the class teacher will be assisted by a language and cultural groups teacher or special class teacher.

During the 2023–24 school year, all 1st and 2nd grade pupils in the pupil catchment areas of Matinkylä and Olari who need preparatory education will be inclusively placed in mainstream education groups where they will be provided with the support and instruction they need. This will promote language learning and integration into Finnish society. 

• Swedish-language preparatory education

At Swedish-language schools, preparatory education is always provided in mainstream education groups, regardless of grade and the pupil’s language skills. Some of the instruction is provided in a smaller group by a preparatory education teacher or other school teacher. 

Multilingualism and knowledge of different cultures benefit children and young people as adults as well. After all, the employment market is becoming more international at an increasing pace, requiring knowledge of different cultures and languages. In addition, good mother tongue skills support language studies and help children and young people make friends with pupils of their own age who speak the same language.

“It is important for a child to learn their mother tongue well, as it is usually the child's emotional language and home language. Good native language skills also make it easier to learn other languages. Multilingualism is also a great asset,” says Early Childhood Education Specialist Saara Salmi-Rautiainen.

In Espoo, immigrant children, young people and their families are supported all the way from early childhood education to upper secondary education by specialists familiar with different cultures. For example, the City has early childhood education language and culture teachers working in Finnish-language early childhood education. They promote the implementation of language, culture and worldview-conscious pedagogy in cooperation with other personnel. 

Last year saw four cultural instructors start working at the general upper secondary schools of Espoo as part of the ‘Ohjauksella onnistumisiin’ project. The goals of the project and the cultural instructors are to facilitate the guidance of young people with an immigrant background in general upper secondary school, to clarify cooperation between the school, the home and other actors, and to strengthen the focus on further education. The job of a cultural instructor differs from that of an interpreter especially in that a cultural instructor can provide families with information about Finnish culture, early childhood education and basic education and school staff with information about how certain matters are handled at home in the child’s or young person’s native country. This helps everyone reach a common understanding.

It is a part of the work of all cultural instructors and teachers to promote the Finnish language learning of children with an immigrant background and to work closely with families as well.

“Working with different language and cultural groups is an essential part of the education and training of youth workers,” says Acting Head of Youth Services Tero Luukkonen.

Espoo’s Youth Services also offer additional education and training to their staff.

Luukkonen considers it important for Youth Services to recruit youth workers from different language and cultural groups. After all, it can be easier for young people to connect with adults who have a similar background.

“We consider it very important for young people to be able to find safe adults at youth centres as well,” Luukkonen says. 

The City of Espoo has youth centres in different parts of the city as well as two mobile youth work units. The aim is to ensure that all young people in Espoo have access to Youth Services. Mobile youth work is carried out with the ‘Nuori Espoo’ (‘Young Espoo’) van Keijo and camper van Kerttu, which have been outfitted to serve as mobile youth centres. Keijo and Kerttu can be ordered to a specific location via WhatsApp message, for example.

General upper secondary school cultural instructors support students and their families, read more at https://www.espoo.fi/en/cultural-instructor

How is the promotion of the integration of Ukrainian children and young people progressing?

I november 2023 ordnar Esbo stad mångsidig integrationsverksamhet för barn i skolåldern och deras vårdnadshavare