Home and preschool collaboration during and after the Covid-19 pandemic – the perspective of Estonian and Swedish preschool teachers

Dados Bibliográficos

ID22162284
AutoresTuula Vuorinen (0000-0002-1349-5626, Örebro University, autor correspondente), Aino Ugaste (0000-0003-4235-7270, Tallinn University, autor correspondente)
Ano2026
Volume11
Data de publicação2026-07-03
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoFrontiers in Education (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2504-284X • E-ISSN: 2504-284X
EditoraFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/feduc.2026.1866903
OpenAlexW7167230787
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas24

This study aims to describe how a small group of preschool teachers in Sweden and Estonia have perceived changes in collaboration and communication between home and preschool during and after the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The results are based on qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 14 preschool teachers from both countries and draw on neo-ecological system theory. The collected data suggest that the participating teachers are experiencing a transition where physical communication is partly replaced by digital communication, at times increasing the distance between parents and teachers and fostering one-way communication. Further, the varying restrictions between the countries and the diverse roles of teachers and principals in these specific preschools illustrate how macro-level decisions can influence home-preschool collaboration at both exo- and meso levels. In this study, teachers from Estonia highlighted their role in supporting parents emotionally, whilst participating Swedish teachers reflected on how the added responsibility of health screenings during COVID-19 restrictions required them to develop a firmer professional approach. Additionally, specific examples from participants illustrate differing approaches to preschool-hosted family events, indicating a shift toward more individualized forms of collaboration within the contexts studied

Early childhood education · Estonian · Pandemic · Child Development and Digital Technology · Early Childhood Education and Development · Parental Involvement in Education