Child Group Size and Staff Density in Preschool

The plan wants to raise ambitions for how much time there is for those growing up, already in daily preschool, and states that the right to equitable education applies regardless of where in the country one lives. Tightened guidelines for group sizes together with strengthened municipal resources are precisely that combination of regulation and resources the plan advocates. The election manifesto also demands more adults and more resources for the activities.

• more time for the childrendecisive»Vi vill höja ambitionerna för hur mycket tid det finns för de« (party programme ↗)“We want to raise the ambitions for how much time there is for those”
• equitable preschool»Det ska inte spela någon roll om du bor i ett miljonprogramsområde eller på landsbygden, rätten till likvärdig utbildning och bildning är grundläggande.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It should not matter if you live in a million-programme area or in rural areas, the right to equitable education is fundamental.”
• more resources for the activities»Skolan måste också tillföras mer resurser, det är bara så vi kan skapa en skola som kan möta barn utifrån deras olikheter och skiftande behov.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The school must also be given more resources, that is the only way we can create a school that can meet children based on their differences and varying needs.”
• capacity to support each child»Vi vill se en skola med ett brett uppdrag« (party programme ↗)“We want to see a school with a broad mission”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan demands more resources to the most vulnerable preschools and continued increased state grants to municipalities, and makes preschool the foundation for lifelong learning and for equal life chances. Sharpened guidelines for child group sizes combined with strengthened municipal resources is an application of that commitment. Regulation of group size is not explicitly mentioned, so the support is derived.

• more resources to vulnerable preschoolsdecisive»De mest utsatta skolorna och förskolorna måste få mer resurser.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The most vulnerable schools and preschools must get more resources.”
• increased state grants»Vi vill fortsätta öka statens bidrag till kommuner och regioner.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to continue to increase the state's grant to municipalities and regions.”
• preschool quality fundamental»Förskolan bildar grunden för det livslånga lärandet.« (party programme ↗)“Preschool forms the foundation for lifelong learning.”
• equality across the entire country»Alla invånare i hela landet ska ha likvärdig tillgång till skola, vård och omsorg.« (party programme ↗)“All inhabitants across the entire country shall have equal access to school, care and social services.”

The party programme wants to significantly reduce the size of childcare groups and increase the density of adults in childcare, and the election manifesto wants to invest in smaller childcare groups and more staff in preschool. Preschool should maintain high quality for all children and have good access to well-trained educators. Tightened guidelines for the size of childcare groups combined with strengthened municipal resources is exactly what the plan requires.

• significantly smaller childcare groupsdecisive»storleken på barngrupperna och öka vuxentätheten« (party programme ↗)“the size of childcare groups and increase the density of adults”
• smaller childcare groups and more staff»satsa på mindre barngrupper och mer personal i förskolan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“invest in smaller childcare groups and more staff in preschool.”
• equitable high-quality preschool»hålla hög kvalitet för alla barn.« (party programme ↗)“maintain high quality for all children.”
• trained educators in preschool»god tillgång till väl utbildade pedagoger i förskolan.« (party programme ↗)“good access to well-trained educators in preschool.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The party programme requires legislation and regulations to give great freedom to solve the task locally, and the election manifesto especially values small preschools in rural areas and that decisions are made close to those affected. Stricter national guidelines for children's group sizes go in the opposite direction and risk precisely those activities. The plan's commitment to a fair preschool speaks at the same time for the counter-proposal, which is why certainty is low.

• local freedom in schoolsdecisive»Lagstiftning och regelverk måste erbjuda stor frihet« (party programme ↗)“Legislation and regulations must offer great freedom”
• small rural preschools»Det fria skolvalet ska värnas och små skolor och förskolor på landsbygden ges förutsättningar att fortsätta sin verksamhet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Free school choice should be safeguarded and small schools and preschools in rural areas given the conditions to continue their activities.”
• decentralization»Decentralisera mera. Människor ska få bestämma mer själva, och politiska beslut ska fattas nära dem som berörs.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Decentralize more. People should get to decide more for themselves, and political decisions should be made close to those affected.”
• fair preschool»Därför ska vi ha en likvärdig förskola och skola i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That is why we should have a fair preschool and school throughout the country.”

The plan requires that preschool provides safe and secure care, that activity is expanded and that every child has the right to equivalent conditions regardless of where one lives, which is the counter-proposal's starting point. Child group size is, however, not addressed at all in the documents, and the plan's own tool for equivalence is to shift financing responsibility to the state rather than to strengthen municipalities' resources. Support for the demand is therefore directional but weakly grounded.

• safe care of qualitydecisive»Förskolan ska ta tillvara barns naturliga lust att lära och ge en trygg och säker omsorg.« (party programme ↗)“Preschool shall take advantage of children's natural desire to learn and provide safe and secure care.”
• equivalence regardless of residence»Varje elev har rätt till likvärdiga förutsättningar, oavsett var eleven bor.« (party programme ↗)“Every student has the right to equivalent conditions, regardless of where the student lives.”
• expanded preschool»Vi vill bygga ut förskolan och satsa på det svenska språket.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to expand preschool and invest in the Swedish language.”
• state financing instead»Vi vill skapa mer likvärdiga villkor och skatter genom att flytta finansieringsansvaret för bland annat skolan och LSS till staten.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to create more equivalent conditions and taxes by shifting financing responsibility for among others schools and LSS to the state.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme establishes that pre-school shall be marked by even and high quality in the form of small child groups and that the groups must not be larger than that each child's needs can be met. The counter-proposal's demand for tightened guidelines for child group size and strengthened municipal resources follow directly from that commitment. The plan however gives no support for bypassing municipal self-governance, which speaks for guidelines and resources rather than detailed control.

• small child groups in pre-schooldecisive»i form av små barngrupper och personal med både pedagogisk och omvårdande kompetens.« (party programme ↗)“in the form of small child groups and staff with both pedagogical and care competence.”
• group size according to children's needs»inte vara större än att varje barn kan få sina behov« (party programme ↗)“not be larger than that each child can have their needs”
• even and high quality»ska präglas av valfrihet, jämn och hög kvalitet« (party programme ↗)“shall be marked by freedom of choice, even and high quality”
• strong municipal self-governance»Den kommunala självstyrelsen ska vara stark« (party programme ↗)“Municipal self-governance shall be strong”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan steers preschool and school through clear knowledge requirements and quality, not through centrally tightened measures on child group sizes, and it is based on the principle that decisions should be made at the lowest possible level. The party programme moreover warns against the notion that welfare constantly should be expanded. Tightened guidelines for child group sizes combined with increased municipal resources thus lie outside the plan's line.

• decisions at lowest leveldecisive»Beslut ska fattas på lägsta möjliga nivå, så nära medborgarna som möjligt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Decisions shall be made at the lowest possible level, as close to citizens as possible.”
• quality before quantity measures»De enskilt viktigaste åtgärderna för att bryta segregationen handlar om kvaliteten i undervisningen och det svenska språket.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The individually most important measures to break segregation are about the quality of teaching and the Swedish language.”
• the state establishes knowledge requirements»Staten har en avgörande uppgift att först och främst fastställa och följa upp tydliga kunskapskrav.« (party programme ↗)“The state has a crucial task to first and foremost establish and follow up clear knowledge requirements.”
• welfare shall not be constantly expanded»Ett långsiktigt hot mot den svenska välfärden är föreställningen om att den befinner sig i ett ständigt pågående skede« (party programme ↗)“A long-term threat to Swedish welfare is the notion that it is in a constantly ongoing stage”

The plan points out overly large child groups as one of childcare's major problems and explicitly requires a maximum limit for the number of children per adult. It also wants facilities and environments to be designed for the right number of children and for staff's working environment to be improved. The counter-proposal's requirements for stricter guidelines on group sizes and strengthened municipal resources thus align with the plan's own line.

• maximum limit children per adultdecisive»Upprätta en maxgräns för antalet barn per vuxen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Establish a maximum limit for the number of children per adult”
• overly large child groups»Svensk barnomsorg dras med kraftiga problem såsom för stora barngrupper, utbränd personal, brister i svenska språket och allt mer åtstramade ekonomiska möjligheter.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish childcare suffers from major problems such as overly large child groups, exhausted staff, shortcomings in Swedish language and increasingly constrained economic possibilities.”
• right number of children per facility»Det är även av stor vikt att lokaler och utemiljöer är utformade för rätt antal barn.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is also important that facilities and outdoor environments are designed for the right number of children.”
• better work and stay environment»Förbättra personalens arbetsmiljö och barnens vistelsemiljö« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Improve staff's working environment and children's stay environment”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.