Espoo guardians’ satisfaction and experience of the quality of early childhood education and care remained at a high level

The analysis of the 2025 assessment survey on early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Espoo is now complete. The survey measuring client satisfaction has been carried out in Espoo since 2021. The survey is conducted twice a year, and its results are used in the evaluation and development of early childhood education and care together with other indicators.

In 2025, the guardians' satisfaction scores did not change compared to the previous year. The spring and autumn surveys attracted 2,441 and 2,024 respondents, respectively.

As in previous years, the surveys were directed at the clients of municipal and service-voucher daycare centres. In addition, surveys were conducted for daycare centre directors and staff.

As a whole, guardians were satisfied with their child’s ECEC unit and the quality of education and care. The best long-term result (5.6) was achieved in autumn 2024, and the same level (5.6) was maintained in the spring and autumn surveys of 2025 (on a scale of 1–6 where 5 = satisfied).

The assessments of children’s well-being and learning also remained at the previous year’s level. In 2025, the average score for these questions was 5.2, the same as last year. There were minor differences between the forms of ECEC: the guardians of children in group family daycare and family daycare were slightly more satisfied than the clients in other forms.

“It's very pleasing to see that the strategic objectives of the City of Espoo are also realised in the experiences of children and guardians. The results show that the everyday life in early childhood education and care is of high quality and meets the needs of families,” says Marianne Jyväsjärvi, Dep. Early Childhood Education Development Manager.

The assessment surveys of 2025 attracted a large number of open-ended responses, which will be used in the development of early childhood education and care.

Most of the open responses were positive and commended the everyday ECEC activities, staff competence and pedagogy. As in previous years, the guardians also raised concerns about the day-to-day activities and offered suggestions for improvement. These concerned, for example, the condition of daycare centre buildings, food served and group sizes. The respondents also remained concerned about the adequacy, qualifications and interaction of staff with the guardians and children.

“We have actively addressed our staff’s competence needs and the concerns raised by the guardians. Together with the six largest cities, we have built new educational pathways to early childhood education and care. The first training programmes have begun in 2026, and the initial experiences have been very encouraging,” says Jyväsjärvi.

Feedback was also collected from staff. A total of 223 staff representatives responded to the spring survey and 524 to the autumn survey. The largest number of responses (485) was received from municipal daycare centres.

Looking at staff satisfaction with work and workplace in all forms of ECEC, there is no major change from 2024. Staff satisfaction was 4.7 in the spring and 4.5 in the autumn (on a scale of 1–6 where 5 = satisfied). However, there were differences between the forms of education and care, which is partly explained by the variation in the number of respondents – some forms had less than 20 respondents.

The staff’s open-ended responses highlighted the experiences of gratitude and success brought about by the work. A good work community and management make the day-to-day work easier. Assessments of the success of pedagogical work also remained at the previous year’s level: in 2025, the score was 4.7 compared to 4.8 in 2024 (on a scale of 1–6 where 5 = satisfied).

The survey responses also highlighted key development needs. According to the staff, qualifications and competence, commitment and leadership skills have partly improved, but they must be further strengthened. Other challenges mentioned included the adequacy of staff, size and structure of groups, questions of support and personalisation as well as the necessary resources, such as the number of computers.

In 2025, 21 daycare centre directors responded to the survey in the spring and 47 in the autumn. In the autumn, the directors’ satisfaction with their work and workplace was 4.9 compared to 4.8 in the spring (on a scale of 1 to 6 where 5 = satisfied). Satisfaction has remained stable since autumn 2023. As for pedagogical work and activities, the directors’ average decreased slightly from 4.8 in the spring to 4.6 in the autumn as the number of respondents increased.

In the open-ended questions, the directors raised concerns about staff qualifications and maintaining pedagogical quality. While the day-to-day work is hectic, the deputy and assistant director models have provided some respite. An increase in the number of qualified and competent staff was seen as a positive development. The directors thanked the staff for their commitment and willingness to implement high-quality pedagogical activities in line with the National core curriculum for early childhood education and care.

“In recent years, management development has been a key priority in Finnish early childhood education and care. The aim of the new deputy director model is to streamline management, strengthen pedagogical management and support shared leadership. This way, we can have a better impact on the well-being of staff and the quality of early childhood education and care,” says Marianne Jyväsjärvi.

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The first assessment survey of 2026 will be carried out in April. Once again, the active participation of guardians, staff and unit directors provides valuable feedback and up-to-date information on the situation and development needs of Finnish early childhood education and care in Espoo.