Espoo to strengthen day care centre management resources with a new assistant director model

The measures introduced in Espoo’s early childhood education this autumn aim to support the management work in the units in different ways. The measures have brought about the hiring of several new employees, but they also include structural and administrative development work.

The reforms aim to strengthen management resources in the units to provide the personnel with sufficient support and make everyday life in early childhood education smoother.

Espoo has taken bold steps to find solutions to the workload and management issues facing the directors of early childhood education units.

“We have a national shortage of early childhood education staff, but it must not prevent us from exploring new ways to develop the work and ease the workload. Additional resources to management will benefit the whole work community,” says Virpi Mattila, Director of Finnish Early Childhood Education.

Espoo’s Finnish Early Childhood Education got five new secretaries, 20 substitute childcarers and 18 temporary day care centre assistants in early autumn. Also, four assistant directors started work in the early childhood education units in October. Swedish early childhood education units will get two assistant directors at the beginning of next year. The Swedish-speaking units have 15 temporary day care centre assistants.

Assistant directors and secretaries support the directors of the early childhood education units

The assistant directors fill a new management role in early childhood education. They are not responsible for a specific group of children, so they can focus fully on the management and administrative work of the unit without neglecting pedagogical tasks or work with the children.

“Early childhood education management has become more demanding, with more children under your responsibility. Based on the feedback from the personnel, good management is an important prerequisite to ensure high-quality early childhood education and the wellbeing of the personnel at work,” says Harri Rinta-aho, Director of the Growth and Learning Sector in Espoo.

Espoo wants to support management as the directors of the early childhood education units are currently under a heavy workload, with administrative work increasing in recent years.

The new model will be developed, and experience will be gathered to gradually increase the number of assistant directors. Also, five new secretaries were hired in August to alleviate the administrative workload of the directors of the Finnish early childhood education units. Day care centres have not had secretarial assistance before.

The city increased the salaries of day care centre directors last year as remuneration had lagged behind the increasing demands. An incentive bonus was also introduced in some day care centres.

Deputy directors’ role to be developed and resources increased

Most early childhood education units in Espoo operate under a deputy director model, where, besides administrative tasks, the deputy director also works with a group of children.

“Since it takes time to introduce the assistant director model, and not all units will immediately have a assistant director, the current role of the deputy directors is also developed. Deputy directors have an important and significant role in the units,” says Mattila.

“The aim is to enable them to better support management work. To this end, we have hired 20 new childcarers to substitute deputy directors in the child groups so that the deputy directors will have more time for administrative tasks,” Mattila explains.

Day care centre assistants help with daily chores

In the autumn, 18 temporary day care centre assistants were hired for Finnish early childhood education in Espoo. The number of temporary assistants working in Swedish early childhood education is 15.

The everyday life in day care centres runs more smoothly with separate personnel to take care of the outdoor clothes and clean the premises, allowing the pedagogical personnel to focus on the children. Day care assistants can also help with the children, if necessary.

Read more about the measures taken to support the everyday life of early childhood education on our website:

Espoo to raise the salaries of day care centre directors

Espoo to introduce staff incentive bonus in some day care centres