Group sizes and staff-to-child ratios in preschool
What's at stake: The outcome affects how many children each adult in preschool is responsible for and how large groups may be, which in turn affects staff working conditions and the quality of care for children.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether preschool group sizes and staff-to-child ratios should be regulated by law with binding limits, or whether the matter should instead be handled through an ongoing government inquiry without new legislation for now.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The Committee shares the view that the issue is important and notes that oversized groups do occur, but rejects the demand for new regulation and instead points to an ongoing government inquiry tasked with examining what measures, including regulation, may be needed.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 7 (V)
Preschool group sizes and staff-to-child ratios should be regulated by law modelled on Norway, with a maximum of three children per adult for the youngest children and five per adult for the older ones, plus caps on group size.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
V–
S–
MP–
C–
L–
KD–
M–
SD–
YesNoAbstainAbsent
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 7 by V.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
The plan's stance / Actual vote
AI
Vote
Confidence
Evidence
Vown reservation
–
No 0/15/0/7
S
–
Abstain 0/0/91/15
MP
–
Abstain 0/0/13/5
C
–
Yes 21/0/0/3
L
–
Yes 10/0/0/6
KD
–
Yes 14/0/0/5
M
–
Yes 58/0/0/10
SD
–
Yes 62/0/0/9
Committee proposal
Parliament rejects the motions
2025/26:2791 by Isabell Mixter et al. (V) demands 11 and 12,
2025/26:3364 by Camilla Hansén et al. (MP) demand 16,
2025/26:3618 by Patrik Karlson (L) and
2025/26:3810 by Anders Ygeman et al. (S) demand 21.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna
2025/26:2791 av Isabell Mixter m.fl. (V) yrkandena 11 och 12,
2025/26:3364 av Camilla Hansén m.fl. (MP) yrkande 16,
2025/26:3618 av Patrik Karlson (L) och
2025/26:3810 av Anders Ygeman m.fl. (S) yrkande 21.
Riksdag decision: The Government has submitted a statement to Parliament regarding the National Audit Office's report on Equality in preschool – the state's support, monitoring and supervision. In the report, the National Audit Office has examined the state's work to promote an equitable preschool.
The National Audit Office assesses that the work is not sufficiently effective and recommends the Government to ensure there are conditions for lawful and uniform licensing and supervision of all preschools. The Government partially agrees with the National Audit Office's findings, but argues that several initiatives have been taken to increase equality in preschool since the examination began, among other things an inquiry on an equitable preschool of good quality has been established. The Government does not rule out that further measures may be needed in the future, but considers that ongoing work should be awaited.
Parliament views positively that the Government has taken measures to increase quality and equality in preschool. Parliament laid the statement to the records, that is, concluded the matter.
Parliament also said no to approximately 40 proposals concerning preschool in motions from the general motion period 2025. The proposals deal among other things with child group sizes and staff density in preschool.
Counter-proposals
The counter-proposal wants to investigate whether Skolinspektionen should have all supervision responsibility and authority to grant licenses for preschools. (V) — Reservation 7
Motion 2025/26:1383 — Bemanningsriktlinjer i förskolan av Marcus Andersson (S)
Motion 2025/26:1709 — Flexibilitet för kommunerna i att erbjuda förskola för äldre barn med hemmavarande syskon av Staffan Eklöf (SD)
Motion 2025/26:1805 — Barnomsorg på obekväm arbetstid av Aida Birinxhiku (S)
Motion 2025/26:1831 — Trygg barnomsorg även kvällar, nätter och helger av Johanna Haraldsson m.fl. (S)
Motion 2025/26:1896 — Skyddad yrkestitel för barnskötare av Johan Andersson m.fl. (S)
Motion 2025/26:1904 — Rätt till fritis för alla barn av Magnus Manhammar (S)
Motion 2025/26:2021 — Stärkt nationell kvalitetskontroll för en likvärdig förskola av Johanna Rantsi (M)
Motion 2025/26:2563 — Förskoleavgiften under perioden då det är sommarstängt av Mattias Eriksson Falk och Roger Hedlund (båda SD)
Motion 2025/26:2577 — Barnomsorg på obekväm arbetstid av Saila Quicklund (M)
Motion 2025/26:2696 — Barnomsorg på kvällar, nätter och helger av Magnus Manhammar (S)
Motion 2025/26:2791 — En jämlik förskola, skola och vuxenutbildning för alla av Isabell Mixter m.fl. (V)
Motion 2025/26:3186 — En skola för kunskap och livsresor av Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist m.fl. (C)
Motion 2025/26:3364 — Förskola och skola för en hållbar framtid av Camilla Hansén m.fl. (MP)
Motion 2025/26:3499 — Avskaffande av pedagogisk omsorg av Helene Odenjung och Gulan Avci (båda L)
Motion 2025/26:3591 — Jämställdhet och mäns våld mot kvinnor av Ardalan Shekarabi m.fl. (S)
Motion 2025/26:3618 — Maxstorlekar för barngrupper i förskolan av Patrik Karlson (L)
Motion 2025/26:3810 — Utgiftsområde 16 Utbildning och universitetsforskning av Anders Ygeman m.fl. (S)
Motion 2025/26:3861 — med anledning av skr. 2025/26:67 Riksrevisionens rapport om likvärdighet i förskolan - statens stöd, uppföljning och tillsyn av Niels Paarup-Petersen m.fl. (C)
Motion 2025/26:3863 — med anledning av skr. 2025/26:67 Riksrevisionens rapport om likvärdighet i förskolan - statens stöd, uppföljning och tillsyn av Anders Ygeman m.fl. (S)