copy the linklink copied!Chapter 2. The context of early learning in Estonia

This chapter provides contextual information to inform the interpretation of the IELS results in Estonia. It highlights demographic information about children and their families in Estonia; the national early learning policies; an overview of the early childhood and care services available; and discussion of their quality and impact. The chapter concludes with an overview of major issues and debates relating to the early learning sector in Estonia and a statement about what IELS can contribute to a growing body of international evidence on early learning.

copy the linklink copied!Profile of children and families

Estonia is recognised worldwide for its high performing and equitable education system. In recent decades, Estonia has been increasingly recognising the importance of early childhood experiences in shaping outcomes throughout later life. Of the approximately 1.3 million inhabitants as of January 2019, Estonia had approximately 65 000 children aged 1 to 7 enrolled in 614 preschool institutions in the academic year 2018-19.

This chapter provides contextual information to inform the interpretation of the International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS) results for five-year-olds in Estonia. Specifically, it highlights demographic information about children and their families in Estonia; the national early learning policies; an overview of the early childhood and care services available, including levels of participation; and a discussion on their quality and impact. The chapter concludes with an overview of major issues and debates relating to the early learning sector in Estonia and a statement about how IELS can contribute to a growing body of international evidence on early learning.

Estonia’s population comprises Estonian-speaking and Russian speaking citizens

Estonian speakers represent around 70% of the population, Russian speakers around 25%, and other groups such as Ukrainian, Finnish and Latvian speakers around 5% combined. The share of Russian-speaking Estonians has remained constant in recent years (Figure 2.1). According to the 2000 census, 74.7% of children attending a preschool institution speak Estonian as their mother tongue, and 24.7% speak Russian as their mother tongue. Income by primary language shows that around 23% of Estonians speakers are among the top 20% of earners in the country, compared to around 13% of those who primarily speak a different language (Statistics Estonia, 2019[1]). In comparison with other OECD countries (OECD, 2019[2]), income inequality in Estonia (Gini1 = 0.314) is similar to Canada (Gini = 0.307) and Italy (Gini = 0.328), lower than Latvia (Gini = 0.346) and higher than Finland (Gini = 0.259).

Figure 2.1. Population share by primary language, Estonia

The poverty rate for children is among the lowest across OECD countries

The poverty rate for children aged 17 and under is 0.0962, which is among the lowest across OECD countries, including the United States, Lithuania and Latvia, although still higher than Finland and Norway (OECD, 2019[3]). By child age group, the relative poverty rate3 of children aged six and under was 15% in 2017, which is the lowest rate over the last decade for three- to six-year-olds, although not for those aged two and under (Statistics Estonia, 2019[1]). The gross domestic product (GDP) of Estonia in 2016 was USD 30 895 per capita, which is similar to Lithuania and the Slovak Republic, lower than the OECD and the European Union (EU) averages, and higher than Russia and Latvia (OECD, 2019[4]).

Women with higher education are more likely to have children

Among women who gave birth in Estonia in 2017, 13% had basic education, 37% secondary education and 50% higher education. In the International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS), 53% of mothers with five-year-old children had completed higher education (i.e. bachelor’s degree or master’s degree, professional degree or doctorate), which was higher than in the other two countries participating in the study (40% in England and 39% in the United States). Since 2011, most women giving birth in Estonia have been tertiary educated, while the share of women with only secondary or lower education giving birth has decreased (Figure 2.2). The average age of women at childbirth rose to 30 in 2017 from 27 in 2000. The average age at childbirth for women with basic education was 28, compared to 32 for mothers with higher education. Children are born more often into families where there is already a young child and where parents are married or in a cohabiting union. They are also usually financially secure and live outside of large cities like Tallinn and Tartu (Raid and Tammur, 2018[5]). After the introduction of parental benefits (i.e. income) to encourage consecutive births, the birth of the next child is often planned to take place before the youngest in the family is 2.5 years old. Families where the first two children are of the same sex are somewhat more likely to have a third child.

Figure 2.2. Education level of women giving birth, percentage by year, 2000 to 2017, Estonia

Most parents take more than one year and up to three years of parental leave

Estonian parents are eligible for three years of parental leave with guaranteed employment in the previous workplace upon returning from leave. The parental leave system also grants 140 days of paid maternity leave and 10 days of paid paternity leave. The system has been redesigned in recent years to motivate fathers to use parental leave (e.g. the introduction of “daddy month”, which entitles fathers to take one month of parental leave instead of 10 days). In addition, paid parental leave of 435 days is provided after the initial 140 days of paid maternity leave. Parental leave cannot be taken by both parents at the same time and the benefit is granted until the day the child attains 18 months of age, and it may be taken 30-70 days before the date of birth. Figure 2.3 shows that the vast majority of parents (85.9%) take more than one year and up to three years of parental leave. Approximately 90% of mothers take parental leave, compared to only 5% of fathers. The most common reason reported by men for not taking parental leave is that their partner took maternity leave (76.8%).

Figure 2.3. Percentage of parents taking parental leave, by duration, Estonia

To compare Estonia with the other countries participating in IELS, statutory maternity leave in the United Kingdom is 52 weeks, while there is no statutory entitlement to paid maternity, paternity or parental leave in the United States. Most mothers take parental leave in Estonia, and for a longer time than in the other two countries participating in the study.

Estonia’s fertility rate is at the EU average, although still lower than other countries in the region

Long-term population trends across OECD countries are characterised by an increase in the elderly population and a decrease in fertility rates, which have reached a plateau of around a 1.74 over the last 20 years (OECD, 2019[6]). In 2016 there were 98 million people in the EU aged 65 and over, compared with 80 million children aged 0-14. In Estonia the number of children aged 0-14 has exceeded the number of adults aged 65-79 for more than ten consecutive years (Figure 2.4). Unlike countries such as Spain or Italy, where the fertility rate in 2016 was substantially below the OECD average (1.3 compared to 1.7), the Estonian fertility rate is at the EU average (1.6), although still lower than Sweden (1.9), Russia (1.8) and Latvia (1.7).

Figure 2.4. Comparison between the number of children aged 0-14 and the number of adults aged 65–79 in Estonia, 2000 to 2018

The immigrant population of Estonia has been increasing, while the number of students with an immigrant background seems to be decreasing

Estonia has an increasing immigrant population. In 2017, the immigration ratio in Estonia was 13 per 1 000 inhabitants, which is more than twice the average of other European countries (around 5 per 1 000 inhabitants) (Eurostat, 2019[7]). Furthermore, in 2017 Estonian net migration was positive for the third year in a row (Figure 2.5). Nearly half of immigrants to Estonia were those with Estonian citizenship, followed by Russian, Ukrainian, Finnish and Latvian citizens. Two-thirds of emigrants were Estonian citizens, followed by Russian and Finnish citizens and stateless persons. Most migrants were in their 20s and 30s. Despite the increased immigrant population, the percentage of students with an immigrant background seems to be decreasing. In the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018, fewer than 3% of 15-year-old students in Estonia were first-generation immigrants. In PISA 2015, the percentage of students with an immigrant background was 10%, which is around 2% lower than in PISA 2006. In IELS, which follows PISA definitions5, approximately 2% of five-year-old children had an immigrant background in Estonia.

Figure 2.5. Comparison between number of immigrants and number of emigrants in Estonia, 2005-2017

copy the linklink copied!Strategies to strengthen early learning

Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined

The division of responsibilities between state, local government and schools is clearly defined. At the level of legislative and administrative power, the Riigikogu (parliament), the government of the Republic of Estonia, and the Ministry of Education and Research (MoER) administer the education system. The Ministry is responsible for developing and adopting national curricula, educational standards, national development plans and state supervision, among other responsibilities. At the local level, municipalities and towns are primarily responsible for ensuring access to general education from preschool to upper secondary education, compulsory school attendance, and maintaining preschool institutions and schools.

The Estonian Lifelong Learning Strategy 2020 sets out the government’s intent to provide all people in Estonia with learning opportunities that are tailored to their needs and capabilities throughout their whole lifespan to maximise opportunities within society, work and family life (Ministry of Education and Research, 2014[8]). The Lifelong Learning Strategy outlines five general goals (Box 2.1) and is a reference point for education budget decisions up to 2020. The strategy states that local governments are responsible for ensuring access to quality preschool education, as well as necessary support services. Additional specific strategic measures in the strategy related to early childhood education and care (ECEC) include:

Developing an in-service education system for teachers to achieve high-quality courses based on the specialised nature of the educational institution.
Requiring local governments to create an appropriate number of childcare and preschool places, to fulfil the objectives of preschool curricula, and to offer opportunities to all children to participate in preschool education at least one year before starting school.
Requiring preschool institutions to apply appropriate age-related measures to provide good quality Estonian language learning. Children are offered activities in the Estonian language, and children with other languages are provided with additional support.

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Box 2.1. Estonian Lifelong Learning Strategy 2020

The general objective of this strategy is to create learning opportunities for all people in Estonia throughout their life, according to their needs and abilities, to guarantee personal fulfilment in society, work and family life.

The five strategic goals are:

1. Change the approach to learning. Implementation of an approach to learning that supports each learner’s individual and social development, as well as the acquisition of learning skills, creativity and entrepreneurship at all levels and in all types of education.
2. Ensure that teachers and school leaders are competent and motivated. The assessment of teachers and school leaders, including their salaries, should be consistent with the qualification requirements for the job and their work-related performance.
3. Increase the concordance of lifelong learning opportunities with the needs of the labour market. Create opportunities for study and career services that are good quality, flexible and diverse, and that take the needs of the labour market into account, in order to increase the number of people with professional education across different age groups and regions.
4. Apply a digital focus in lifelong learning. Apply modern digital technology in learning and teaching in a more efficient way, and with better results, to improve the digital skills of the general population and to guarantee access to the new generation of digital infrastructure.
5. Create equal opportunities and increased participation in lifelong learning. Create equal opportunities for lifelong learning for every individual.

The Ministry of Education and Research has initiated the preparation of the Estonian Education and Research Strategy for 2020–2035, which aims to develop a realistic long-term vision of how to develop the education system and research in Estonia. It is hoped that the strategy will help the country be a society of healthy and happy people that manages itself based on agreed values, responsible citizens and a successful economy that can compete internationally.

Source: Ministry of Education and Research (2014[8]) The Estonian Lifelong Learning Strategy 2020, Ministry of Education and Research, https://www.hm.ee/sites/default/files/estonian_lifelong_strategy.pdf (accessed on 11 April 2019).

In addition to the Lifelong Learning Strategy, the Estonian government has developed the Strategy of Children and Families 2012-2020 to improve the well-being and quality of living of children and families (Ministry of Social Affairs, 2011[9]). This strategy aims to:

Support the sustainability of society by creating knowledge-based and uniform child and family policies.
Support positive parenting to improve the quality of living and the future of children.
Guarantee the rights of children and create a functional child protection system to support the development and well-being of children.
Provide adequate economic security for families.
Create equal opportunities for men and women and foster the reconciliation of work, family and private life to promote a quality everyday life that meets the needs of each family member.

The Strategy of Children and Families includes strategic objective indicators to improve the well-being of children and families and their quality of living. Examples of these indicators include the total fertility rate (up to 1.77), the relative poverty rate (down to 16.5%), and the share of children aged two and under (up to 35%) and aged three to six (maintain the level) in informal childcare.

Central authorities provide local governments and preschool institutions with the national curriculum and standards for ECEC

Estonian national authorities have developed specific policies on ECEC, which are presented in the Preschool Child Care Institutions Act, the National Curriculum for Preschool Child Care Institutions, and the Private School Act. The parliament of Estonia (i.e. Riigikogu) established in the Preschool Child Care Institutions Act (Riigi Teataja, 2018[10]) that the two main functions of a preschool institution are to:

Create possibilities and conditions for the formation of a healthy personality that is socially and mentally alert, self-confident and considerate of others, and that values the environment.
Maintain and strengthen the health of the child, and promote his or her emotional, moral, social, mental and physical development.

The Preschool Child Care Institutions Act establishes that learning and teaching should be conducted in Estonian unless the local government council decides it should be conducted in another language. Local government councils are responsible for ensuring that all Estonian-speaking children have the opportunity to attend a preschool institution where learning and teaching are conducted in Estonian in the rural municipality or city where they live. The director of a preschool institution approves its curriculum on the proposal of the teachers’ council after hearing the opinion of the board of trustees – a permanent body that, together with the director and the teachers’ council, manages the preschool institution. Private preschool institutions are regulated by the Private Schools Act, with curricula approved by the owner of the institution and entered into the Estonian Education Information System.

The Preschool Child Care Institutions Act came into force in February 1999 and was updated in February 2018 (Riigi Teataja, 2018[10]). Changes included policies to support children with special needs, such as their admission to a group with other children without special education needs or a group for children with special needs, and policies to ensure that there is a sufficient number of teachers working in a preschool institution and complying with qualification requirements. Teachers are responsible for observing children’s development in preschool institutions and adjusting learning and teaching to the child’s special needs when necessary. The evaluation and support of a child’s development should be based on the principles provided in the National Curriculum for Preschool Child Care Institutions. The director and manager of the preschool institution are responsible for organising children’s support services, such as speech therapists and special education teachers, and ensuring that children receive the support they need.

Over the last decade, Estonia has developed specific policies related to pedagogical and curricular approaches. The National Curriculum for Preschool Child Care Institutions (Riigi Teataja, 2008[11]) aims to support the quality of provision in early education and determines the objectives and principles of teaching and learning, the organisation of teaching and learning, the expected general skills and the expected development of six- to seven-year-old children, as well as principles for assessing the development of children.

The Values Development Programme in Estonian Society 2015-2020, implemented by the University of Tartu with the support of the MoER, aims to support the formation of shared values in Estonia and contribute to the formation of attitudes that become the basis for a happy personal life and the successful functioning of society. The programme aims to support children’s values education and systematic values development in educational institutions, including preschool, so that each child can grow up in an environment that facilitates the development of their personality and integration into society. The programme has a strong emphasis on supporting teachers and educational staff, as well as parents, to achieve these objectives, and is connected with other strategies such as the Lifelong Learning Strategy 2020 and the Strategy of Children and Families 2012-2020.

Every preschool institution develops its own curriculum, although it must be based on the national framework

According to the National Curriculum for Preschool Child Care Institutions (Riigi Teataja, 2008[11]), every preschool institution is responsible for developing its curriculum according to local needs, interests and children’s abilities. Nevertheless, curricula must be based on a national curriculum, which establishes that teaching and learning should be versatile and consistent with child development. Moreover, the curriculum must be carried out in co-operation with children’s families.

Preschool institutions have the autonomy to apply multiple methodologies and pedagogies. According to Eurydice, the most widespread teaching practices are the step-by-step methodology, the Reggio Emilia approach, the Montessori approach and active learning methods such as Bruner’s discovery learning. Private preschool institutions, such as Waldorf preschool institutions and Christian preschool institutions, sometimes use alternative pedagogical methods that are more aligned with their overall approach. Alternative pedagogies are also implemented for children with special educational needs based on the effectiveness of the methods and advice from pedagogues.

Local governments and the board of trustees have autonomy in deciding how the time of preschool institutions within their jurisdiction is organised. Institutions may operate throughout the year or seasonally, and opening hours may vary across jurisdictions. Nevertheless, the daily schedule should take health and well-being considerations based on each age group and the child’s characteristics. For example, the daily schedule for children aged one to three includes time for sleep at least once a day, while older children should be provided with at least one hour for resting, which can be for sleeping or for other quiet activities. The daily schedule for children with special needs is provided based on the developmental characteristics of the child. The daily schedule for the oldest cohort, aged six to seven, is oriented to facilitate a smooth adaptation and transition to school life, and includes tasks that involve developing memory, imagination and thinking, and study skills.

Teaching and learning in early education aim to foster the physical, mental and social-emotional development of children

According to the National Curriculum for Preschool Child Care Institutions (Riigi Teataja, 2008[11]), teachers in Estonia must support the development of children’s skills through play, teaching and learning activities, with play-based activities the primary basis for teaching and learning in preschool institutions. Teaching and learning are oriented to support the child’s physical development and the development of healthy habits, mainly through outdoor play. This approach aims to support children in developing a comprehensive and positive self-image, an understanding of the surrounding environment, as well as help them learn ethical behaviour and initiative, improve essential working habits, and participate in physical activity. The Preschool Child Care Institutions Act (Riigi Teataja, 2018[10]) establishes that the two main functions of a preschool institution are to: 1) create possibilities and conditions for the formation of a healthy personality that is socially and mentally alert, self-confident and considerate of others, and that values the environment; and 2) maintain and strengthen the health of the child and promote his or her emotional, moral, social, mental and physical development.

copy the linklink copied!Early childhood education and care provision

Types, prevalence and spread of provision

Although participation is not compulsory, all children are entitled to attend a preschool institution from 1.5 to 7 years old

Since 2014, Estonian national policies have established that local governments – i.e. town and rural municipalities – are obliged to provide all children aged 1.5 to 7 years old who permanently reside in their catchment area the opportunity to attend a local preschool childcare institution. This obligation includes children with special educational needs such as physical, speech or intellectual disabilities. Preschool institutions (koolieelsed lasteasutused) are divided into crèche (lastesõim) for children up to three years of age, preschool (lasteaed) for children up to seven years of age, and preschool for children with special educational needs up to seven years of age (Figure 2.6).

Figure 2.6. Overview of ECEC provision in Estonia

Since 2006, Estonia has had a childcare system, regulated by the Social Welfare Act, with a network of more than 373 providers. Alternative structures of childcare include provision for children 2 to 8 months of age (Beebi koolid). Although, these centres are generally not free, they are becoming increasingly popular among parents interested in being more involved in the learning processes of their children. The focus of these centres is on the development of a child’s creativity through music, rhythm and manual activities.

Children who have reached seven years of age by 1 October must attend school that year and remain in school until they acquire basic education or reach 17 years of age. Although attendance at a preschool education institution is not mandatory, the Lifelong Learning Strategy 2020 aims to provide all children with at least one year of preschool education before starting school.

Parents are free to choose the preschool institution or childcare provider they prefer. Local governments allocate places based on the preferences of parents and proximity to their home or work. Therefore, children residing in the catchment area of the preschool institution have priority over children from outside the area, followed by parents working in the catchment area. Children from other areas would only be accepted if vacant places still existed. Children with special educational needs are admitted to integrated groups based on a written application from the child’s parents and on the recommendation of an external advisory team.

Estonia’s provision of preschool education is predominantly public

Municipal preschool institutions represented 90% of the total number of childcare institutions in the 2018/19 academic year. Local governments are responsible for considering the needs of families in their region, including whether the institution operates throughout the year or seasonally, and the hours of operation, as well as provision. Children from different socio-economic backgrounds have relatively equal access to formal preschool education in Estonia, similar to Denmark and Iceland (Vandenbroeck, Lenaerts and Beblavý, 2018[12]). Such equitable access is not common across all OECD countries. Estonian national policies have a strong emphasis on providing access to early education in rural areas, and this provision heavily relies on local governments to provide quality access to all children within the catchment area. Preschool institutions are divided into Estonian, Russian and mixed centres based on the language of instruction. Most preschool institutions where the language of instruction is Russian are also public institutions.

The high participation of children in preschool institutions creates a smooth transition to school

The Estonian Lifelong Learning Strategy 2020 establishes the need to develop flexible opportunities for all children to participate in preschool education at least one year before starting school. In Estonia, children’s participation in preschool institutions is high, which creates a smooth transition to school life (Ministry of Education and Research, 2014[8]). Each parent in Estonia has to submit a “readiness for school” card to the primary school before compulsory attendance with a description of the child’s achievements in the development of general skills according to the National Curriculum for Preschool Child Care Institutions. This measure aims to help teachers plan the transition to school life, and the curriculum, according to the child’s individual development and characteristics.

ECEC workforce

The share of ECEC teachers with tertiary education in Estonia is increasing, although the share of women remains among the highest in the OECD

The ECEC workforce is divided into three main staff categories – teacher, assistant and childcarer (i.e. childcare worker) – and two categories of leaders – director and headteacher. The minimum qualifications required for teaching assistants and childcarers are compulsory school and one year of studies at a healthcare college. Since 2015, the minimum requirement for ECEC teachers, directors and headteachers has been a three-year bachelor’s degree programme. In the 2018/2019 academic year, 19% of teachers had a higher education degree equivalent to a master’s degree, 50% had a higher education degree equivalent to bachelor’s degree, and 29% had some form of post-secondary education. In addition, 70% of directors and headteachers had a higher education degree equivalent to a master’s degree and 29% had a higher education degree equivalent to bachelor’s degree. The share of ECEC teachers with higher education was 20.9% in 1995, 25.6% in 2001 and had reached 69% by the 2018/2019 academic year. Some 69% of staff are aged 40 or older, and most teachers are women (Veisson, 2018[13]). The share of women among teaching staff in preschool education in Estonia is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data (99.4%) (OECD, 2018[14]).

Professional development for ECEC staff has been strengthened

There is high demand from applicants for ECEC teacher training (a ratio of seven applicants for every place); however, the proportion of young people, and particularly males, is still low. Following recent policy reforms, preschool teachers attend on average 35 hours of professional development per year, with costs covered by the state and employers. Policy reforms have also aimed to encourage ECEC leadership, for example, the Teacher and Leadership Programme was initiated for the period 2015-2020 to provide a comprehensive professional development system for teachers and heads of preschool institutions.

Financing early childhood education and care

Parental ECEC fees cannot exceed 20% of the minimum wage

Children in Estonia predominantly attend public preschool childcare institutions (96% in the academic year 2018-19). Preschool institutions are financed from the state and local budget, parents and donations (Riigi Teataja, 2018[10]). Parents cover the costs of catering for children, the daily cost of which is decided by the board of trustees and approved by the director. The local government covers other costs such as those related to the management of the institution (e.g. staff remuneration). Local governments may decide that parents need to partially cover the costs of their child’s ECEC attendance, depending on the age of the child, the management of the preschool institution or other costs. However, the amount per child cannot exceed 20% of the minimum wage established by the Estonian government. Attendance fees may also differ based on family socio-economic status.

Private preschool institutions also receive support from local government. Representatives of local governments and preschool teachers are responsible for agreeing the minimum salaries of teachers at preschool institutions. Expenses to support the salaries and in-service training of teachers, as well as requested Estonian language training for non-Estonian speaking children, are allocated in the state budget.

Expenditure on ECEC as a share of GDP is one of the highest among OECD countries

Government spending in Estonia on ECEC as a share of GDP was 1.17% in 2015 and 1.16% in 2016, which is above the OECD average of 0.8%. In 2015, annual expenditure on ECEC was USD 6 514 per child (OECD, 2018[14]). The spending on ECEC has led to the salaries of preschool teachers increasing from 67% of the average salary of a full-time full-year similarly educated adult in 2016 to 79% in 2018. In 2016, the average gross salary of a municipal preschool teacher was EUR 819 per month, which is more than the minimum salary of EUR 430 and a quarter less than the country average. Since 2017, additional support has been allocated to municipalities to motivate them to raise preschool teachers’ salaries. Local governments that have increased the salaries of tertiary-educated preschool teachers to 80% of a school teacher’s salary by 1 September of each year receive the support. The average gross salary of preschool teachers rose from EUR 936 per month in 2017 to EUR 1 038 in 2018 and EUR 1 125 in 2019. Furthermore, in 2020, preschool teachers with a master’s degree now receive the full EUR 1 350 minimum salary of primary teachers.

copy the linklink copied!Participation in preschool institutions

The share of children participating in preschool institutions is high

In 2016, 71% of two-year-olds were enrolled in an ECEC setting in Estonia, compared to an OECD average of 45% and an EU226 average of 42% (OECD, 2018[14]). Enrolment rose to 90% for three-year-olds, compared to an OECD average of 76% and an EU22 average of 82% (Figure 2.7). Nonetheless, enrolment for children under the age of two was substantially lower, presumably reflecting parental leave benefits. In 2016, childcare services were used by 4% of children aged one and under, 16% of children aged two, 5% of children aged three, and approximately 2% of children aged four to six (Statistics Estonia, 2019[1]). As shown in Figure 2.7, participation has remained relatively stable in recent years.

Figure 2.7. Enrolment in preschool institutions by age, 2014 to 2016, Estonia

Most children attending preschool (96%) attend public institutions

In Tartu, for example, only 7% of six-year-old children in 2017 did not attend a preschool institution, and approximately 34% of those children used a childcare service. According to information provided by local governments, the remaining children not attending preschool institutions were at home with parents or grandparents according to the parents’ wish, or had moved abroad with their families without notifying the population register (Ministry of Education and Research, 2018[15]).

Most children attend preschool institutions (up to seven years old), although participation in preschool basic schools, which are those attached to primary schools, has increased in recent years. The share of children attending crèche centres (up to three years old) shifted to preschool institutions after 1999, the year that the Preschool Child Care Institutions Act came into force. As a result, the number of preschool institutions increased to over 500, where it remained relatively stable, although has slightly decreased in recent years. The number of schools providing preschool education – preschool basic schools – has increased by around 40% since 2001. Preschool basic schools are the most common form of provision in rural areas, where the number of children in the region is not large enough to justify the creation of a separate preschool institution (Schreyer and Oberhuemer, 2017[16]).

The number of hours three- to six-year-olds spend in ECEC is higher than the European average

In 2017, children aged two and under in Estonia spent on average 30 hours a week in ECEC (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2019[17]). More than 80% of children aged three to six spent 30 hours or more in formal ECEC, compared to only around 40-50% of children in the European Union. The number of hours may vary across preschool childcare institutions as they are responsible for defining opening times based on the needs of the families (e.g. office working hours). Therefore, in some cases the number of hours children spend in ECEC might be more than 40 hours a week. The estimated years of attendance at a preschool institute for three- to six-year-olds has been 3.5 over the last five years. The earliest starting age is from birth, although the usual age to enrol in ECEC is three years old (OECD, 2018[14]). The share of boys and girls is very similar, with a slight but consistently longer attendance for boys (Statistics Estonia, 2019[1]).

copy the linklink copied!Quality and impact of preschool institutions

The staff-child ratio is lower than the OECD average for three- to six-year-olds, but higher for those under three

Staff-child ratios can contribute to high-quality learning environments as they increase the potential for frequent and meaningful interactions (OECD, 2019[18]). The staff-child ratio in Estonia is lower than the OECD average for three- to six-year-olds, but higher for those under three (OECD, 2019[18]). The set number of children per staff member is between 7 and 10. The maximum number of special needs children in a group is smaller, ranging from 2 to 6, depending on the special needs of the children.

Preschool institutions are subject to internal and external evaluations

The Ministry of Education and Research regulates the quality provision of early education through the National Curriculum for Preschool Child Care Institutions (Riigi Teataja, 2008[11]) and provides administrative supervision of the teaching and education at preschool institutions, although only in individual cases or through thematic monitoring, if required. The MoER is responsible for administrative supervision over the legal activity of preschool institutions and managers to ensure that preschool education is available and accessible on equal grounds. It also supervises the organisation, quality and performance of teaching and learning. A supervisory agency appoints the persons exercising supervision and involves experts if necessary. Administrative supervision includes visiting an institution to inspect teaching and education and accessing the documents of the institution, as well as preparing statistical and financial reports and verifying data in the Estonian Education Information System (EEIS).

In 2006, the MoER introduced the obligation for preschool childcare institutions to conduct internal evaluation to support the creation of an internal quality assurance system, and to ensure that institutions are supporting the continuous development of children and the institution itself. The head of a preschool is responsible for establishing the procedure for internal evaluation and seeking approval from the board of trustees in advance. Preschool institutions can apply for compensation from the MoER to use external services to provide advice on internal evaluation. Preschool institutions prepare an internal evaluation report at least once every three academic years and are required to list their strengths, areas for improvement and performance indicators, which are available to the public in EEIS. The objective of the performance indicators is to allow preschool institutions to monitor improvement and compare themselves with other preschool institutions of the same type. The results of each institution are published in the educational statistics virtual environment, HaridusSilm, which is available for the public to access.

The MoER also conducts external assessments of learning outcomes to give preschool institutions, their owner and the state objective and comparable feedback on attainment regarding the learning outcomes provided in the national curricula. Evaluation of learning outcomes is intended to: 1) support the development of children, teachers and the institution; 2) collect the evidence necessary for making decisions relating to children and the institution; and 3) submit proposals for decisions on education at the state level and provide institutions with examples of good practice in teaching.

In 2016, the MoER, in collaboration with the University of Tartu (survey developer) and Foundation Innove (survey administration), prepared satisfaction surveys for preschool teachers and parents. The Satisfaction with Education Survey aims to expand feedback on the quality of education and create conditions for the systematic monitoring of the well-being and performance of preschool children and teachers. It focuses on six components that are assessed by both preschool teachers and parents. The data collected from the satisfaction surveys serve to provide feedback to preschool institutions on the quality of the working and study environment, as well as parent satisfaction with the preschool. The survey was piloted in 2017, and the main study was implemented in 2018.

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Box 2.2. Quality of ECEC provision in Estonia against EU structural indicators

According to the European Union’s structural indicators, Estonia meets multiple quality indicators of ECEC from birth to the start of compulsory education:

Children are legally entitled to an ECEC place from the age of 1.5. Although ECEC is not compulsory, 94.6% of children aged three to six attend preschool institutions.
At least one staff member per group of children in ECEC is qualified to a minimum of bachelor level in the field of education.
The ECEC curriculum or educational guidelines cover the entire ECEC phase, not only children aged three and over.
Language support measures are available in ECEC. For example, measures to improve the language of instruction for children who speak another language(s) at home.
Home learning guidance to foster the child’s learning at home is provided through information and ideas to families about how to help their children with curriculum-related activities, decisions and planning.
There are parenting programmes for those with children aged three or older, where parents attend formal courses covering a variety of topics related to children’s education and development.

Source: (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2019[17]) Key Data on Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe – 2019 Edition, https://doi.org/10.2797/966808.

Estonia was the highest-performing OECD country for reading and science in PISA 2018 and among the strongest across all participating countries and economies

Since Estonia joined PISA in 2006 it has been one of the highest performing countries in science, and its performance in reading and mathematics has significantly improved since PISA 2009, by 22 and 11 points, respectively (Figure 2.8). In PISA 2018, Estonia was the highest-performing country in the OECD in reading and science, third for mathematics, and among the top performers across all participating countries and economies in the study (OECD, 2019[19]). Estonia achieves a high level of performance and equity among PISA 2018 participating countries and economies. Estonia’s ECEC programme is much more equitable than those in other OECD countries, with parental educational attainment not affecting children’s participation in ECEC, unlike in most OECD countries (OECD, 2018[14]). In most countries, children under three whose mothers did not attain tertiary education are less likely to participate in ECEC; however, in Estonia, they are as likely to participate as those with tertiary-educated mothers (OECD, 2018[14]).

Figure 2.8. Average performance of Estonia in PISA, 2006 to 2018

Estonia also achieved a high level of performance and high student satisfaction in PISA 2018, and had the highest proportion of students with a growth mindset (i.e. with the highest percentage of students who disagreed that their intelligence cannot change very much), which is strongly associated with reading performance. However, the exposure of 15-year-old students to bullying in Estonia was above the OECD average (25.4% versus 22.7%), while their overall life satisfaction was slightly higher than the OECD average (OECD, 2019[20]). According to the International Survey of Children’s Well-being, 76% of 8-year-old children in Estonia experience high life satisfaction compared to 68% of 10-year-old children and 50% of 12-year-old children (Kutsar, Raid and Soo, 2018[21]).

copy the linklink copied!Policy issues and debates around early learning

Mitigating language barriers for Russian-speaking children is a priority

A recent OECD review of the Estonian education system highlighted the importance of increasing the hours of Estonian language instruction to help Russian-speaking students become proficient in the country’s official language, Estonian (Santiago, Levitas and Shewbridge, 2016[22]). The report indicates that language acquisition problems pose barriers to, and raise the costs of, Russian-speaking children advancing through Estonia’s education system. Language barriers are likely to distort the choice of Russian-speaking students in favour of vocational programmes at the upper secondary level. On the one hand, the need to form groups for Russian-speaking children in preschool institutions seems to be decreasing as parents increasingly prefer their children to attend groups instructed in Estonian to increase their likelihood of reaching higher education. On the other hand, the share of Russian basic school graduates with at least B1 level7 of Estonian remains around 57% (Ministry of Education and Research, 2018[15]). Although the share of Russian and other language speakers who also speak Estonian has increased over the last ten years, it has remained stable recently, and achieving a sufficient Estonian language level by the end of basic school remains a challenge for many students.

The Language Immersion Programme, launched in 2015, is currently implemented in 100 institutions, of which 63 are preschools and 37 are primary schools. Results so far are promising, with 86% of basic school graduates using this programme achieving B1 level Estonian. In September 2018, the government launched the Professional Estonian-speaking Teacher to Every Russian-speaking Preschool Group programme, which supports the training of 53 new Estonian teachers for the 53 Russian groups within 21 preschool institutions in Tallinn and Eastern Estonia – which represent around 8% of all Russian groups in the country. The programme aims to support the teaching and learning of the national language for children with other languages, and help them acquire sufficient skills in both languages so that they can successfully participate in Estonian society. The aim is that by 2025 there will be no solely Russian-language groups in preschools, but instead there will be groups of Estonian-Russian children taught in Estonian and Russian in parallel (bilingual teaching).

Estonia has increased spending on the ECEC workforce

Since 2016, Estonia has increased spending on the ECEC workforce, which is reflected in the reduction of the salary gap between preschool and primary teachers. In 2016, teachers’ salaries were among the lowest across OECD countries, and the difference between ECEC and primary school teachers’ salaries was one of the highest (OECD, 2018[14]). Since 2017, the national government has invested part of the state budget to support local governments in ensuring that the salary and status of preschool teachers are equal to teachers in schools (EUR 61 million during 2017-2021). Preschool teachers’ salaries increased to 80%, 85% and 90% of the minimum salary of primary teachers in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Moreover, preschool teachers with a master’s degree now have the same salary as primary teachers.

Attracting younger adults to the teaching profession, especially men, is still a challenge. Various policy initiatives have been implemented to make the teaching profession more attractive and to boost the status of ECEC in society, such as the creation of professional standards and competency models, the re-organisation of continuing professional education, providing feedback on teaching performance, improving the digital competence of learners and teachers, and improving the in-service training system.

Although several policy initiatives have been implemented in recent years to better integrate students with special educational needs (e.g. the Preschool Child Care Institutions Act, 2018), teachers sometimes still lack knowledge of how to deal with these students (Ministry of Education and Research, 2018[15]).

After a shortage in 2014, access to preschool education has improved over the last five years

In 2014, Estonia suffered a shortage of ECEC places (Schreyer and Oberhuemer, 2017[16]), particularly in Tallinn and Tartu, which resulted in long waiting lists (Tavits, 2018[23]) and lower accessibility for low-income families compared to other countries in the region (Schreyer and Oberhuemer, 2017[16]). Since 2014, all children aged between 1.5 and 7 years have been entitled to attend a preschool institution; the Estonian Lifelong Learning Strategy 2020 was also introduced in this year. After the implementation of these initiatives, and with the help of the European Social Fund (ESF) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), EUR 47 million was invested during 2014-2020 to help local governments create around 3 200 new ECEC places. Since 2016, local governments have created around 1 000 of these new preschool and childcare places in the urban areas of Tallinn, Tartu and Pärnu. Local governments co-operate with the private sector to provide childcare for children under three.

The cost of municipal preschool education does not appear to be a barrier for most families to access ECEC in Estonia (Browne et al., 2018[24]). Figure 2.9 shows the typical cost of childcare in different OECD countries for a family with two children aged two and three where the father earns at the median of the full-time earnings distribution and the mother at the 25^th percentile. In Estonia, ECEC fees paid by parents in public preschool institutions run by local authorities are low (4% of gross earnings for this family type) compared to the OECD average. However, it is worth noting that the number of years attending preschool education in rural areas is 3.8 compared with 4.3 in cities, which is a higher difference than the OECD average of 0.2 (OECD, 2016[25]).

Figure 2.9. Comparison of childcare costs across OECD countries

The number of hours children spend in ECEC between the ages of three and six is high compared to the EU average

The ECEC enrolment of children aged three to six has remained high over the last decade compared to the EU average, and more than 80% of children in this age group in Estonia spend 30 hours or more in formal ECEC, compared to only 40-50% on average across the European Union. Figure 2.10 shows a upward trend in the European Union to increase the number of hours children from the age of three to minimum compulsory school age spend in formal ECEC; however, this target is still far below the number of hours children of this age spend in ECEC in Estonia.

Figure 2.10. Percentage of children aged between three and the minimum compulsory school age in formal ECEC, by hours per week, 2008 to 2017

The participation rates of children under three participating in ECEC in Estonia are lower than the EU average, which is possibly related to the generous parental leave benefit system that provides three years of parental leave with guaranteed employment in the previous workplace upon returning from leave. The ECEC enrolment of children under three has increased during the last decade, notably since amendments to the Preschool Child Care Institutions Act adopted in 2014, which allowed local governments to be flexible in providing preschool places for children aged 1.5 to 3. For instance, a local government may, with the parents’ consent, change the place of a child under three from a preschool institution to a childcare service. Figure 2.11 shows the impact this amendment and other policy efforts have had on enrolment; however, enrolment is still below the average of the European Union.

Figure 2.11. Percentage of children under three in formal ECEC, by hours per week, 2008 to 2017

There is little evidence on the quality of early learning internationally

Early learning is a powerful tool for developing children’s cognitive and social-emotional skills, and improving the future outcomes of students. However, providing access to ECEC does not guarantee good results for children and their development, and may even negatively impact children’s development if quality provision is not ensured. High-quality ECEC not only means ensuring the provision of adequate structural characteristics, such as a qualified workforce and a clear national framework to support local governments, but also ensuring that the children most in need of support have access to ECEC, and that early learning outcomes are adequately monitored.

Estonia has gathered extensive evidence from PISA on how well their 15-year-old students are doing internationally. As mentioned, their overall performance in mathematics, reading and science is excellent. However, PISA data also show that 15-year-old students in Estonia’s rural schools score 20 points less in science than their peers in city schools, although rural schools score 35 points more than urban schools after accounting for students’ and schools’ socio-economic status (Echazarra and Radinger, 2019[30]). In other words, students from a rural background in Estonia would outperform students in urban areas if they and their schools had the same socio-economic status (Echazarra and Radinger, 2019[30]). These results are aligned with Estonian national examinations, which show that students’ learning outcomes in rural areas are usually lower than those of their peers in urban areas (Serbak and Valk, 2016[28]). PISA data also show that the performance gap between students with an immigrant background compared to their native peers in Estonia, in favour of students with the non-immigrant background, is greater than the OECD average, and has remained stable between 2006 and 2015 (the last year with available information).

There is much less evidence on younger students in Estonia. For example, Estonia does not participate in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) (fourth grade) or the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) (eighth grade). Internationally, there is little available information on the quality of children’s early learning. However, it is common to find differences in ECEC quality provision within and between countries, between private and public settings, between age groups (children aged under three and those between three and six), and between urban and rural or remote areas (Vandenbroeck, Lenaerts and Beblavý, 2018[12]). High-quality early learning positively predicts well-being across a range of indicators in adulthood, including general well-being, physical and mental health, educational attainment, and employment (Schleicher, 2019[29]). The success of Estonia in PISA may likely be associated with strong early learning foundations.

Providing all children with a strong early start contributes to achieving more equitable outcomes across families and communities. The assessment of crucial early learning domains such as numeracy and emergent literacy, self-regulation skills, and social-emotional skills provides an essential opportunity to understand whether governments, communities, schools and families are adequately supporting children’s early learning. IELS is the first international study that provides benchmarking data on children’s early learning and a framework to foster the growing interest in, and commitment to, early childhood.

References

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Notes

← 1. The Gini coefficient is a measure of income or wealth distribution, where 1 corresponds to maximal inequality and 0 represents perfect equality.

← 2. The poverty rate is the ratio of the number of people (in a given age group) whose income falls below the poverty line; taken as half the median household income of the total population.

← 3. A person was considered to be living in relative poverty if his/her equalised monthly disposable income was below EUR 523 (EUR 467 in 2016) and in absolute poverty if their equivalised monthly disposable income was smaller than EUR 207 (EUR 200 in 2016).

← 4. The total fertility rate in a specific year is defined as the total number of children that would be born to each woman if she were to live to the end of her child-bearing years and give birth to children in alignment with the prevailing age-specific fertility rates.

← 5. Children with an immigrant background as those with a father and mother who were born in a country or economy other than that in which the child participated.

← 6. It is calculated as the unweighted mean of the data values of the 22 countries that are members of both the European Union and the OECD.

← 7. According to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

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