Integration of refugee children and their families in the Swedish preschool: strategies, objectives and standards

Challenges and Solutions Perceived by Educators in an Early Childcare Program for Refugee Children

“…They suggested predictable and reliable structures (e.g., repeating timetables) with consistently enforced rules, which promote routines, and foster reliable relationships with refugee children and parents. Correspondingly, Lunneblad (2017) found that refugee children and caregivers often need more time to familiarize themselves with a childcare setting. Educators in our study suggested that conveying warmth, encouragements, and patience are particularly important to foster positive relationships with refugee children and their families.…”

Research Handbook on Child Migration

“…They may also, in the initial phase at least, face communication and language problems (Hopkins and Hill, 2006), as well as difficulties learning about and adjusting to a new and different culture, where they exist as 'strangers in a strange land' (Kohli and Mather, 2003, p. 201). As Lunneblad (2017) argues in relation to the integration of refugee children in Sweden, 'being in a new context, as many refugees are, and not knowing the day-to-day routines nor even what counts as tactful behavior, can mean being unable to participate in a society on equal terms with others' (p. 361). While many of the exile-related challenges faced by unaccompanied minors are similar to those faced by other refugee children, some are specific to their circumstances as young people separated from their parents, or are at least likely to be experienced more acutely.…”

‘Sometimes we have to clash’: how preschool teachers in Sweden engage with dilemmas arising from cultural diversity and value differences

“…This anecdote concerns a preschool teacher, working in a culturally diverse area of a mid-sized city in Sweden. It illustrates the complexities of being a preschool teacher in contemporary Sweden, particularly the task of promoting cultural diversity in preschool settings (Björk-Willén, Gruber, and Puskás 2013;Lunneblad 2006Lunneblad , 2017Stier et al 2012).…”

“…The tensions inherent in cultivating a shared culture and honouring cultural diversity in preschool have been examined recently (Björk-Willén, Gruber, and Puskás 2013;Fredriksson and Lindgren-Eneflo 2019;Goldstein-Kyaga, Borgström, and Hübinette 2012;Lunneblad 2009Lunneblad , 2013Lunneblad , 2017Stier et al 2012). These studies describe how many preschool teachers in Sweden struggle to apply approaches to intercultural education described in relevant steering documents.…”

“…For example, preschool teachers sometimes have to consider how best to create a welcoming environment for all children while at the same time considering the aversions that some parents/guardians have to their children participating in the celebration of birthdays, dancing, or playing with dolls. Issues like these are often 'resolved' by the preschool teachers in ways that are tentative and end up deferring the problems (Lunneblad and Johansson 2012;Lunneblad 2017;Puskás 2013). However, preschool teachers are expected to adhere to the guidelines and recommendations laid out by the preschool curriculum, which include the expectation that they counter gender stereotypes.…”