Nearly 1,100 employees in Swedish preschools have given their views on everyday work in the international study Talis preschool.
The report shows that Swedish preschool staff highly enjoy their jobs: 91 percent state that they are overall satisfied.
But 47 percent also state that they are stressed at work and 41 percent believe that they will have left preschool within five years - due to stress and illness, among other things.
For large groups
The most common sources of stress are having too large groups of children and having to cover for absent colleagues who have not been replaced.
Talis shows that the child groups consist of an average of 15 children, which is lower than Denmark's 22 and Finland's 17. But the Swedish staff is responsible for more children per person: five children, compared to Denmark's and Finland's four.
The message is that the preschool's work environment is worth taking seriously and that it may be necessary to look at, for example, staff density, says Cecilia Stenman, project manager at the Swedish National Agency for Education, at a press conference.
Limited influence
A full 98 percent feel appreciated by their children's parents. But their status in society and support from employers and politicians are seen as weak. Only 24 percent feel valued, the lowest percentage of all participating countries.
The reasons can be linked to limited influence and salary levels.
Anna Castberg, head of department at the Swedish National Agency for Education, believes that the fact that staff enjoy their work may be due to teaching strategies, among other things.
"We see that they have good collaboration with their colleagues and good communication with principals. They also work with things like language development in a different way than in neighboring Nordic countries," she says.
Anna Lena Wallström/TT
Petra Hedbom/TT
Facts: Talis preschool
TT
Talis stands for Teaching and Learning International Survey, an international study about the everyday working lives of teachers and principals.
The study is being conducted by the OECD, with the Swedish National Agency for Education responsible for the Swedish part. This is the first time Sweden has participated.
Sweden has participated with nearly 1,100 preschool employees. The staff works with children aged 3–5.
A total of 17 countries/regions participated, but the Swedish report only compares Sweden with the nine other countries that have approved response rates. These include Denmark and Finland.
Sources: OECD and Swedish National Agency for Education
