Four adults per room raises hope: The children feel the pressure

A child wakes up and cries. Another needs to be comforted by the toy.

At the same time, diapers need to be changed, noses wiped, food served and peace created among the rest of the children. Meanwhile, another child sits quietly by himself and waits to be seen.

This is what an ordinary morning often looks like in the Soralu daycare center in Nuuk, says Hansine Kristensen, the head of the institution.

The Greenlandic Parliament has adopted a proposal to continue working with minimum standards in daycare centers. The Greenlandic Parliament will now examine the possibilities in more detail.

The proposal comes from Inatsisartut member Pipaluk Olsen (D), who believes that the time has come for greater political responsibility for the conditions in daycare centers.

- A minimum standard of four employees per room can be an important tool for creating more stable working conditions, better opportunities for internal flexibility and less dependence on acute temporary solutions, she writes in the proposal.

The proposal is being received positively by the managers of the daycare institutions "Soralu" and "Uiloq", who have for some time pointed to a high work pressure among pedagogical staff.

The children feel the busyness

According to the manager of "Soralu" Hansine Kristensen, the challenges are not only about busyness, but also about the quality of care. When there is a shortage of staff due to illness, holidays or vacant positions, the staff is forced to strictly prioritize between the children.

- It is about having time and presence for the individual child. Because we help lay the foundation in the child's first year of life. So yes, I very much support the proposal, says Hansine Kristensen.

She suggests that there can be three trained employees in each room.

- If the standard reaches four employees, my suggestion is that three of them are trained, and one is an assistant. I suggest this because working with children's development – ​​both physical and mental – as well as planning and pedagogical organization is part of the professional education, she says.

Ane Kuitse is the head of the daycare center “Uiloq”, and also supports the proposal, which will help to ensure that employees in daycare centers do not constantly have to run stronger to make everyday life coherent.

- We would very much like to give the children the best, but when warm hands are missing, it has consequences. Very young children who cannot yet verbalize their needs may, for example, start biting other children because they lack attention, she says.

She emphasizes that work in a daycare center cannot be postponed until the next day. Unlike paperwork, it is about children with needs here and now.

- Our work is not paperwork that can be put on a shelf until tomorrow. It is about children and their well-being here and now, says Ane Kuitse.

According to her, better staffing can not only benefit the children, but also make it easier to attract and retain employees in the pedagogical profession.

- Many people want to work with children, but the pressure of work can scare people away from the profession, she says.

Ane Kuitse emphasizes that it can be a challenge to recruit and retain pedagogical workers in daycare institutions. According to her, the salary level plays a central role in this context.

- It is because of the salary, she says.

Cannot wait any longer

The Greenland Government acknowledges in the preparatory work for the proposal that a shortage of staff can affect the quality of daycare institutions. At the same time, challenges with both working conditions, salary conditions and recruitment are pointed out.

However, minimum standards will not be introduced for the time being. First, a report must be made on, among other things, finances, administration and personnel needs.

For the managers of the daycare centers “Soralu” and “Uiloq”, the debate is ultimately not just about standards and budgets. It is about the everyday life that the children encounter in the institutions.

- Your children are not just paper. Your children have feelings. They need to move and to meet stable and present employees. Some changes need to happen. We can no longer postpone it until next year, it needs to happen now, says Ane Kuitse.