Imagine sending your 4-year-old to preschool knowing they will spend almost the entire day happily exploring the woods, climbing trees, and relaxing in hammocks. Imagine that they also participate in activities that many of us would consider risky for a preschooler, such as building fires and using knives to carve figures out of sticks. For children in Norway, this is a typical day in the country’s “barnehagen”: child care programs designed for children ages 1 through 6.
In Norway, childhood is viewed as a precious time that should be joyful and respected. Early learning, especially through outdoor play, is a key component of this. The country has made the right to child care a legal requirement and insists that early learning programs promote “tolerance and respect” while teaching values like empathy, generosity, and a belief in the worth of every individual.
The country is deeply committed to early childhood education, covering the majority of operating costs and providing subsidies for parents, who pay around $190 per month for the first child in care, and less for additional children. Children are guaranteed a spot in child care from the age of 1.
Doesn’t it sound idyllic? In April, during my time as a Spencer Education Journalism Fellow at Columbia University, I visited Oslo to experience it firsthand. I spent a week in nine different kindergartens to gain insight into how Norwegians view early childhood, how the country’s approach to early learning adapts to changing social demographics, and what lessons we can learn from Norway. I returned feeling hopeful and inspired, but also with a sense of urgency about the need for America to address our own child care practices.
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