The Centre’s 2024 Member Study Tour group had the pleasure of visiting the FamiljeCentral in Salem, where we were warmly welcomed with some delicious fika and insightful presentations from local government representatives, the National Board of Health and Social Welfare, the Public Health Agency, Barnahus, and the incredible Maria, who coordinates the FamiljeCentral.The Family Centre is a place-based service that is focused on supporting parents and children through health promotion, family support, and early prevention. It brings together professionals like midwives, pediatric nurses, pediatricians, psychologists, preschool teachers, and social workers who collaborate to meet the diverse needs of families. The unique strength of these centres lies in their multidisciplinary approach, where local governments and key stakeholders coordinate their resources to provide comprehensive care and early intervention. Learn more
After our visit to the Salem Family Centre, we visited Preschool Norrskenet, which serves children in Stockholm with roots or connections to the Sámi or Meänkieli culture. Here, children can develop and preserve their languages and cultural identities. Educators work together with the children to revitalise the Sámi and Meänkieli languages. The team at Norrskenet also integrate the culture and history these languages carry into this early-years service, supporting the children in becoming carriers of cultural values. In Sweden, all children over the age of one are guaranteed a spot in an early years service. Municipalities provide Förskola (preschool) for children ages one to five. The amount of municipal subsidy for preschool depends on the child’s age and whether the parents work, study, are unemployed, or are on parental leave for other children. The City of Stockholm, the municipality governing Stockholm, has more than one thousand preschools.
Learn more about the Centre’s Study Tour here.
