1.7. A child and everyday living in Finland

 A Child´s position in Finland

Children hold a very special position in Finnish society. They have a right to well balanced and multifaceted development. They have a right for special protection

Children´s well being is supported in many ways:

• When a child is born his/her mother or caretaker gets a maternity package. The maternity package includes basic supplies to the baby and parents.
• Children are taken care of at either home or daycare before they start a school.
• Children´s health, physical, emotional and social development is checked at a child health centre. They give advice and support concerning the child care
• Preschool starts when a child turns 6 years. The child starts elementary school the year when she/he turns 7 years.
• Children go usually to the nearest school of their home
• At school, the children are eligible for the services of the school nurse
• Children are eligible for the free dentist services
• At school, children can get services of the school counselor (social worker) and school psychologist.
• If needed, the child can get services of the occupational therapy, speech therapy, physiotherapy and help of psychology.

A child as an asylum seeker

Approximately 11 000 children are seeking asylum during 2015-2017.
A child as an asylum seeker has the following rights:

A child as an asylum seeker

Approximately 11 000 children are seeking asylum during 2015-2017.

A child as an asylum seeker has the following rights:

• Healthcare services
• The counties are obliged to offer and organize the following services (counties` service practices can vary):
• The children´s health care at child´s health care center,
• Healthcare at school
• Student´s health care
• Child welfare services

When offering services the special needs of the asylum seekers have to take account (special support because of the cultural and language differences, professional interpreters´ services)

A Day care system in Finland (Early childhood education)

• Child’s multifaceted development is supported at daycare and early education.
• The children have a possibility to meet other children at daycare centers.
• The children are playing and working as a group and learning new skills
• The size of the group varies depending on the age of the child and the needs of the children.
• The daycare centers are open generally between 6.30-17.30. Sometimes the opening times vary.
• The child gets a caretaking and free meal at daycare centers.
• Special education is a collaboration between professionals at day care centers, child, and the parents.
• Daycare centers function is based on the law of early education.

Educated professionals are working at daycare centers (Workers have usually higher education or at least vocational education.

The school and e-program Wilma

• All children living in Finland have the liability to participate in compulsory education.
• The compulsory education is free for charge at least nine years.
• Children get a free meal every schooldays.
• At school on subject to learn is religion. However, every child is free to choose the religion, which she /he wants to practice. If the child doesn´t want to participate in the education, followed by the Lutheran church she/he can choose view of life education instead.
• Boys and girls have the same right to study and participate in the school education.
• The child gets a free school nurse services as well as school psychologist and social counselor.

After secondary school, a major of the students will continue their studies at high school or vocational schools.

The most important task for the parents is to support their children in educational path.

• Get to know your child´s teacher as soon as possible.
• Participate in the parents´ gatherings. There you get a lot of usable information about the school.

Wilma e-program

• Wilma is an e-program and its purpose is to function as information source between teachers and parents.
• Learn how to use Wilma-program.
• You can get information about your child´s succeed and managing at school by Wilma.
• You can get the identification words from school for entering to Wilma.
• For. ex. you can inform the teacher if your child is sick and needs to stay at home instead of going to school. When the child is sick she/he can´t go to school. Then the teacher of the child will know and won´t be worrying.
• By Wilma you can check if the child has been at school or absent.
• The teachers usually write to Wilma if the child has managed well during the school day or if she/he have had a difficulty. (The color green means good day and the color red means bad day).
• Through Wilma, you can discuss the matter with the child´s teacher.
• You can look at your child´s timetable from Wilma.
• How your child has managed at tests and what kind of evaluation the teacher has given to him/her.
• You can also see from Wilma what kind of subjects your child is learning at school. (The subjects are usually marked as abbreviations so please ask help from the teacher to understand those.