The Commissioner for Children's Affairs visited Äänekoski
"Every child's opinion was important and it was taken into account"
Commissioner for Children's Affairs Elina Pekkarinen and a special investigator of the Children's Affairs Commissioner's Office Terhi Tuukkanen visited Koulunmäki preschool in the Tutkijat group today, Friday 17.11.2023 November XNUMX. The ideas of the children of Äänekoski are used in the advocacy work of the Children's Affairs Commissioner and in research.
"Eskar has friends and safe adults"
- Finding out children's views is a task from which we get a lot of information. So too in Äänekoski, where the children were brave, happy and had clearly thought about what they wanted to tell in advance. It was especially gratifying to hear that there are friends and safe adults in the eskar. It was also fun to eat oven-baked sausage together and get to know the wonderful school building, says Elina Pekkarinen, children's commissioner.
Children's Affairs Commissioner Elina Pekkarinen and Terhi Tuukkanen, a special researcher at the Children's Affairs Commissioner's office, gathered the thoughts of the children of Aänkoski as part of the Children's Affairs Commissioner's statutory duty to keep in touch with children and pass on information received from them to decision-makers. The children's ideas are utilized in the influence work of the Office of the Commissioner for Children's Affairs, for example in publications, statements, statements and their preparation.
Publications, positions and statements of the Office of the Commissioner for Children's Affairs are published on the website www.lapsiasia.fi, where they can be freely read.
Pekkarinen and Tuukkanen talked with the children of the Anukkoska region about the escar, children's rights and when being in the escar feels good and when maybe it's bad. The children were also asked to draw a picture of a moment when it is good to be in the eskar and a moment when it is bad to be there.
- The children's unanimous opinion after the day was that it was nice, even if they were a little nervous at first. The Eskars felt that they were listened to and they had the courage to share their thoughts with the guests. The mascots Sisu and Sam, who accompanied the guests, were especially popular with the children, the group's early childhood education teacher and deputy director Minna Tenander says.
- The adults of the group considered the day a success and thanked the guests for how they met the children at the children's level and how each child's opinion was important and was taken into account.
The ideas of the Eskarians of Koulunmäki are also used in research. They will be used as material in a scientific article, and based on the children's thoughts, the Children's Barometer study will be prepared next year, in which the thoughts of approximately 400 6–7-year-old children about eschar will be investigated by interviewing them over the phone. More information about Lapsibarometer at https://lapsiasia.fi/lapsibarometri.
The city of Äänekoski was chosen Early childhood education municipality of the year 2023 and Koulunmäki pre-school is a cooperative kindergarten of the University of Jyväskylä.
Next week, the national child rights week will be celebrated with the theme "The child has the right to well-being". Children's Rights Week is an operational themed week whose goal is to promote awareness of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, especially among children and young people. Materials for the theme week have also been distributed to Äänekoski kindergartens and schools. Read more at https://www.lapsenoikeudet.fi/kampanja/lapsenoikeuksienviikko/
For more information:
Koulunmäki preschool
Early childhood education teacher
Minna Tenander
+040 632 4252
minna.tenander@aanekoski.fi
Director of Family Services
Pirjo Heinonen
+0400 672 637
pirjo.heinonen@aanekoski.fi
News published 17.11.2023