The influence of the summer recess on the operation of preschools

Abstract

One of the differences between the Icelandic preschool and the compulsory school is, among other things, the flow of the school calendar. A school year in preschool has no formal beginning or end, however, in some respect the summer recess establishes a division. If the summer recess is late, it is easy to predict that the six years old, will quit before, or around the time that the summer recess starts. On the other hand, if the summer recess is early, it increases the probability of the children returning to preschool after the break. The intake of new children instead of those who graduate and are transferred to the next school level, is closely connected to the time when the six year olds leave, and hence connected to the timing of the summer recess. Operational aspects regarding budget, demand that all available places are filled all year round, and that in turn creates special circumstances that are not precedent at any other school level.
Since preschool is not mandatory and parents are charged for their children´s care, it is important, regarding budgeting, to allot each vacant place to a new child as soon as possible to meet financial demands. It has not been properly researched how external aspects, like the length and timing of the summer recess and its connection to the intake of new children, influence the internal operation of preschools, however, one can assume that they must have some impact.
This article focuses on how preschools organise their internal and pedagogical aspects regarding the intake of new children in relation to the summer recess. The article uses as an example, one particular preschool´s response to changes in the summer break during the spring of 2011. The article is based on a study that was conducted in the spring of 2011 where the goal was to explore the influence of the summer recess on the internal aspects of preschools. That spring, 110 preschool principals, which is nearly 40% of all preschool principals in the country, were asked to answer a questionnaire and 60% responded. There is a lack of research on working conditions in preschools in Iceland as well as in other countries and the available knowledge is limited, especially regarding the interaction between external decisions and the decisions made by the preschools principals. Therefore, research that focuses on work environment in preschools are important, both theoretically to guide preschool principals and teachers in their work but also as knowledge for external operators to guide them in their decisions they have to take.
The main findings are that the influence of the particular timing and lenght of the summer recess is significant and if it varies betwean years, the impact on when the oldest children graduate is greater. Operators decide if preschools are to be closed down for a summer break or not, how long it should last and when the closing will take place. Those decisions are political and can change each year, even due to pressure from interested parties, like businesses and parents. It then falls to the preschool principal to work with those decisions each year. It is important that operators are aware of the influence of their decisions and consider them in connection to the internal operations of the schools and the work environment. Children spend the first five years in preschool and how they are spent, can influence their future.
The findings are somewhat contradictory. Preschool principals mention varied influences due to external decisions but simultaneously trivialize them. Potentially there could be a conflict between their professional role and operational factors. Those findings indicate that it is important to further examine the influence the summer recess has on the internal professional activities of preschools, as well as the influence it has on work environment of teachers and children.