Child Life in the Hands of the Welfare State is a research-based debate book that criticizes the current upbringing conditions for our youngest children. The book describes the development and needs of young children for present and attentive adults - and the crucial importance this has for the child's development of social cognition, language, empathy, self-esteem, and much more in both the short and long term. However, when looking at the quality of Danish daycare institutions, it appears that some of them are not at a sufficient level to meet the needs of the children.

A group of parents therefore want to take on this task themselves. They take the consequences and choose to look after their child at home. For home care, parents have the opportunity to be the constant, present, and attentive adults in the child's life who can create lasting close and secure relationships with the child. In this way, the parents regain the opportunity to give their child what their parental instincts tell them to. However, such a decision has consequences for career and finances, and it requires political support and action.

The book gives a voice to stay-at-home parents. And based on this, research on the development of young children and the quality of Danish daycare institutions, some concrete proposals are presented on how we can change the conditions for the youngest children and their families.

In our modern society, where the focus is often on evidence-based practice and measurable outcomes, talking about love in connection with education can seem intangible or even controversial. Nevertheless, love plays a crucial role in both the pedagogical and didactic work with children.

Therefore, this chapter with perspectives from modern philosophy, psychology and educational research, illuminate how the phenomenon and concept of love appears in pedagogy and pedagogical practice.

Interpersonal interactions during childhood form the foundation for development and learning (Tomasello, 2014; Vygotsky, 1962, 1978). Numerous studies have documented the impact of interactions between preschool teachers and preschool-aged children between 3 and 6 years of age (e.g., Denham et al., 2003; Hamre, Hatfield, Pianta & Jamil, 2013). The aims of this 1-year observational study were to investigate patterns of interaction between professional preschool teachers and children between 10 and 24 months of age in Danish crèches and to examine the correlations between these interaction patterns and preschool teachers’ pedagogical decisions.

The study indicates that internal pedagogical choices (extent of reflection and planning for the pedagogical activities; criteria for groupings of children; whether preschool teachers worked predominantly alone with smaller groups of children or as a team of two or three with several children)—decisions that differ from crèche to crèche—are crucial. These pedagogical decisions are mutually dependent on or sensitive to the child–adult ratio.

The study reveals significant differences in the character of the interpersonal interactions between teachers and children, according, for example, to the level of planning and pedagogical reflections. This may cause different conditions for children’s cultural learning and development.

Teachers and caregivers organize children’s everyday life in early childhood settings to support children’s well-being, learning and development. Teachers’ organizational decisions (e.g. daily schedule, arrangement of furnishings, activities, behavioural expectations) are influenced by a set of ideas, norms and values which they may or may not be conscious of at the time. The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of how democratic, caring and disciplinary values are communicated and negotiated between adults and children (from birth to five) in crèche and preschool settings, with particular attention to whether these values are animated in isolation (e.g. separately from one another) or in a more unified fashion. The conceptual framework for this study is based on previous theories and research on democracy education, communicative action, educational content and children’s democratic formation, caring values and disciplinary values. The researchers analysed video recordings of interactions between children and teachers during lunch, circle time and free activities. The findings reveal the nature and extent to which teachers expect children to follow and participate in the social order that adults have established for them, as well as ways in which empathic practitioners create space for children to influence changes in the social order.

0-3-årdalderen er den periode i et barns liv, hvor dets læringskurve er stærkest opadgående. Derfor er det paradoksalt, at netop den periode er stærkt underbelyst i forskningen. Bogen her er et bidrag til at mindske dette vidensgab. Den giver samtidig et inspirererende bud på en next practice for vuggestuer og dagplejer i Danmark.

Barnet i centrum 2 tager afsæt i et forskningsprojekt, hvor 130 vuggestuepædagoger og dagplejere fra otte kommuner arbejdede sammen om at udvikle deres pædagogiske praksis. Det gjorde de med særligt fokus på tre temaer.

• Samspillet mellem børnene og det pædagogiske personale, herunder forskellige betingelser, som har betydning for kvaliteten af dette samspil. Der stilles bl.a. skarpt på, hvordan atmosfæren i dagtilbuddet og brug af berøring er med til at forme voksen-barn-samspillet.
• Mikroovergange, dvs. de små overgange, børnene oplever i løbet af deres dag, fx fra leg til spisning og fra spisning til søvn. Det undersøges, hvordan overgangene kan gøres meningsfulde for det enkelte barn, og hvordan pædagogen kan skabe deltagelsesmuligheder for børnene i overgangene.
• Didaktik, dvs. hvordan vuggestuepædagoger og dagplejere kan planlægge og reflektere over deres praksis med udgangspunkt i begreber som dannelse, leg, børneperspektiv og læringsmiljø, der alle er centrale i dagtilbudsloven.

Bogen formidler resultaterne fra forskningsprojektet og sætter dem i relation til aktuelle teorier og forskning på 0-3-årsområdet.

Barnet lærer allermest i perioden 0-3 år.

Der er derfor lidt af et paradoks, at der er så relativt begrænset forskning på dette område. Forfatterne bag bogen har gennemført et toårigt forskningsprojekt med knap 300 deltagende pædagoger, dagplejere, ledere og pædagogiske konsulenter fra 18 danske kommuner.

Barnet i centrum formidler viden om aktuelle teorier, empirisk forskning og konkrete erfaringer relateret til didaktik, pædagogik og læring på 0-3 årsområdet. Bogen giver inspiration til, hvordan fremtidens praksis bliver for vuggestuer og dagplejere i Danmark.

This chapter deals with caring and democratic values expressed in interactions between practitioners and children in Nordic preschool settings for children aged one to five.

Caring values are expressed when the practitioner shows a specific emotional attitude, openness, and sensitivity in striving to understand the child’s perspective and, with reference to Tomasello, when the practitioner creates zones of joint attention. Democratic values are analyzed with reference to Biesta’s concepts of normal and sporadic democracy.

Interactions between children and practitioners build on a complexity of values; research shows a concurrent prevalence of caring, disciplinary, and democratic values. In this chapter, we focus on caring and democratic values, exploring the following research question: How are caring and democratic values communicated in interactions between children and practitioners?

Our research shows that caring, disciplinary, and democratic values often overlap and are expressed simultaneously. In addition, it is both possible and necessary to establish a number of value subcategories in order to create an intentional and goal-oriented values education. To this end, we also categorize and conceptualize these subcategories.