Segregation in Helsinki starts in Daycares: Concerned Parents’ Call to Action
As a mother living in Helsinki, I am deeply concerned about the issue of segregation among children in daycares and schools. I had the opportunity to attend a meeting with experts of the Education Division of Helsinki city to discuss this issue and to request support for our parents’ group activities.
Our parents’ group started as a way to organise activities and meetings in our daycare. However, in our first meeting, during our discussion we realised that segregation among children started quite early in school and even before. For example, at the daycare children wouldn’t attend birthday parties they were invited to if their parents didn’t know each other.
We were sad to realise that, after daycare, once in school, our children most likely wouldn’t play with children of a different background despite the diversity of the area. This was a deeply worrying issue, as segregation can lead to social exclusion, discrimination, and missed opportunities for children from different backgrounds to learn and grow together. This concern became central in our parents group discussions.
We felt that our experience was not unique. We knew that in many parts of Helsinki, daycares and schools struggled with issues related to integration and segregation. Children tend to play at school with those kids already know from outside school, and this often leads to segregation based on ethnicity or socio-economic status. We knew that families knowing each other lead to playdates outside school, and that these playdates played a major role in children's friendships. So we thought that getting to know other families through daycare and school would lead to integration.
At our meeting with the Education Division, we identified several challenges that we faced in organising activities and parent meetings. Parties and social events were often not considered a priority by daycares and schools, and were not perceived as important integration activities. Although they are key to building bridges between families and promote integration. Additionally, we identified communication problems between daycares and families - This was a main concern for the daycare director. We highlighted that real communication should be an exchange where institutions should listen and know the families to be able to understand them. From there, we could work on why families didn’t read/understand official notifications and emails.
As concerned parents, we know that we cannot solve these issues on our own. We need support from the Education Division and from integration programs to help us organise activities and to reinforce activities in schools and daycares. We need help in communicating important information to families, such as enrolment systems, S2-track, and the Verso program. We also need backing from the Education Division as valid representatives when problems in daycares and schools are identified. We expressed that our parents group was eager to work together with the Education Division and with other parents groups to create a more inclusive and integrated community for our children.
This meeting took place in September 2022. Our demands for support didn’t get any concrete visible action. Nevertheless, I believe that by working together, we can break down barriers, build bridges, and create a better future for our children. Therefore, I will continue knocking on the Education Division’s door and hope that other parents will join me.
