ERIC Number: EJ1458326
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-3831
EISSN: EISSN-1470-1170
How Can Early Childhood Education and Care Support Families and Prevent Parental Burnout during the COVID-19 Crisis in Finland?
Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, v69 n1 p138-150 2025
We examined how early childhood education and care (ECEC) centers supported families during the COVID-19 lockdown and whether the extent and type of support were associated with parental burnout. An online survey was filled out by 521 Finnish parents (88% mothers), and the data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U-test and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). A total of 81% of the parents were contacted by ECEC personnel during lockdown, and 19% were not contacted at all, although 9% would have wished for contact. The support consisted mainly of guidance for the child's daily activities and communication via letters and greetings. Out of the parents, 33% found the support helpful, 36% sometimes helpful, and 31% nonhelpful. The more support the parents received, the less burned out they were. Particularly, food aid and advice to contact the ECEC centers, if needed, were negatively connected to parental burnout.
Descriptors: Early Childhood Education, Family Needs, Parents, Burnout, COVID-19, Pandemics, School Role, Parent Attitudes, Family School Relationship, Foreign Countries, School Closing, Child Care Centers, Individual Characteristics
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Finland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A