An Introduction to the Nordic Countries Around Family, Children and Early Childhood Education

Abstract

The Nordic countries continually score high in lifestyle measures, quality of life and children’s outcomes. With a combined population of over 26 million people, innovative policy is often implemented to deal with a small but spread-out population. For over 200 years the countries have kept peace with each other and have substantial cooperation across national borders. Much of this has to do with specific culture and policy of the Nordic countries. This chapter provides an introduction to Nordic policies around children, families and early childhood education. This introduction provides a summary of the current research findings about families and children across the Nordic countries. The findings provide important insights into the ‘Nordic model’ and offer readers the chance to understand the relevant issues facing Nordic countries.