Statistical presentation
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Population and Education, Social StatisticsJens Bjerre
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The statistics are an annual calculation of the number of enrolled children and the number of employees with educational tasks in municipal and independent day care institutions as well as pool scheme institutions and municipal day care. Children and staff in private institutions are not included in the statistics. The statistics also calculate norms, which are a calculation of the total care resources at municipal level, seen in relation to the number of children, and are calculated for pool scheme institutions and municipal and independent daycare centers by dividing the number of children by staff. Both staff and children are converted to full-time units and it is only educational staff such as educational leaders, pedagogues, assistants, helpers, etc. are included. The norming figure is calculated as a gross norming, where the staff's total tasks such as childcare, parenting interviews and development plans are included in the calculation, and opening hours are not taken into account. Sickness or vacation is not deducted for children or for staff, but maternity correction is made for staff. Temporary workers are included in the rationing calculation. Central support staff, such as support pedagogues, resource pedagogues and the like. as well as educational staff who take care of tasks i.f.m. a compulsory learning offer or language stimulation is included in the norming calculation. Educational staff employed for municipal funds for social norms, e.g. extra educational staff the municipality has assigned as a result of the institution having special challenges, many vulnerable and exposed children or the like. also included. The ratio is calculated at municipal level from 2015 to 2023, and in 2022 the ratio was also calculated at parent board level.
The statistics is an annual inventory of the number of children enrolled in childcare facilities, the number of employees with pedagogical assignments, and the ratio between children and employees. The framework for the statistics follows the recommendations of the work of an inter-ministerial working group, where stakeholders were involved.
Data description
The purpose of the statistics is to establish a possibility for municipalities on resource allocation for childcare facilities. The inventory contains childcare arrangements, which are defined under The act on Law on day-care facilities (Dagtilbudslovens section 2 in Dagtilbud til børn indtil skolestart). In other words the childcare facilities are limited day care institutions from 0 years to school start (normally 5 years). Only the independent day care facilities that have an operating agreement with the municipality are included in this statistic.
Children and staff are measured as full-time units (also called full-time equivalents). This means that a child or staff on full-time for a year is equal to one full-time unit, while a half-time employed staff counts as 0.5 full-time unit.
The ratio of children per adult is calculated on the basis of the agreement on the Finance Act in 2013, where it was decided "to develop a new method for calculating the ratios" and to prepare more accurate annual inventories for the average number of children per year. A working group was then set up consisting of the Ministry of Economic and Home Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the national association of municipalities and the Ministry of Children, Gender Equality, Integration and Social Affairs. The working group recommended a methodological framework to estimate the ratio between children and employees. Among other things they recommended that employees with pedagogical tasks should include employees with managerial assignments (managers). It is documented in the report The ratio of children per adults in daycare – A model to calculate the yearly ratio of children per adults in daycare (Normeringer i dagtilbud: Model for en årsopgørelse af normeringer i dagtilbud fra 2014)
Classification system
Children are grouped in daycare as: - Family day care - Day care facilities 0-2 years - Day care facilities 3-5 years
Age integrated daycare (0-5 years old) are divided into day care for 0-2 years old and in kindergarten 3-5 years old for those children from 3 years old to starting school. This is also the case for institutions covering 0-18 years old.
Education categories: - Educational assistant training - Educator, BACH - Educator, VBE (exclusive BACH) - Educational Courses not specified - Education, VBE - Education, BACH, MASTER and Ph.d. - Not leading to a vocational/professional qualification - Other education - Not specified educational level
The statistics are geographically divided by municipalities.
Sector coverage
Childminders and institutions in childcare for children until school start.
Statistical concepts and definitions
Age-integrated institution: A daycare institution where children are enrolled from 0 years until they start school.
Employment period in a daycare institution: The period an employee is employed in a daycare institution, with a set number of hours per week. Changes in weekly hours, education or position will cause a new employment period.
Kindergarten: A daycare institution where children are enrolled from when they progress from the nursery until they start school.
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Enrollment period in a daycare institution: The period a child is enrolled at a daycare institution, with a set number of hours per week. Changes in weekly hours will cause a new enrollment period.
Municipal daycare institution: Daycare institution run by the municipality that target children before they start school. Comprised of Nursery, Kindergarten and municipal-run home-based childminding.
Municipal-run home-based childminding: Daycare institutions run by the municipality that target children before they start school. Comprised of Nursery, Kindergarten and municipal-run home-based childminding
Kindergarten progression age: The age children enrolled in age-integrated institutions are moved from nursery to kindergarten. The age is set by the municipality.
Institution-like pool scheme: Pool schemes can be run as either daycare-like or institution-like pool scheme. Pool schemes are established by a private supplier and run on the basis of an agreement with the municipal council. After August 1, 2007, no agreement can be entered on the establishment and operation of pool schemes. Institution-like pool schemes (established before August 1, 2007) are included in the statistics on Childcare before the start of school, but daycare-like pool schemes are not included in the statistics on Childcare before the start of school.
Independent daycare institutions: Daycare institution that is run by a private contractor that has signed an operating agreement with the municipal government. Independent daycare institutions are subject to municipal inspection and receive subsidies from the municipal government to cover the institution's expenses.
Nursery: A daycare institution where children are enrolled from 0 years until they start kindergarten.
Statistical unit
Children and employees counted as fulltime units
Statistical population
Childcare for children from 0 years until start of school in public and independent institutions, pool scheme institutions and public daycare
Reference area
Denmark.
Time coverage
These statistics cover the time period from 2015 and onwards.
Base period
Not relevant for these inventories.
Unit of measure
Number of children and staff is measured in full-time equivalents. The ratio between children and employees is measured in number of children per employee with pedagogical assignments.
Reference period
Calendar year.
Frequency of dissemination
Annual.
Legal acts and other agreements
Act on Statistics Denmark § 6 and § 8
Cost and burden
Most of the data for the statistics are provided automatically through a system-to-system solution, minimizing the reporting burden.
For a small group of independent institutions and pool scheme institutions, where employees are not paid through either the municipal system or an external payroll system, manual reporting is carried out on Statistics Denmark's website.
Additionally, municipalities actively participate in the validation process.
Comment
More personnel resources have been added to the day care facilities in connection with the corona restrictions that have been in force in the day care facilities during 2020, 2021 and 2022. Based on this, it can be expected that the ratio in the municipalities in 2020 and 2021 will be affected by this.
From the reporting year 2023, Statistics Denmark publishes ratios that account for the following three adjustments, as set out in Executive Order No. 1809 of 28 December 2023, which came into force on 1 January 2024: 1. Children moved to kindergarten before turning three years old are guaranteed a staffing ratio of at least one pedagogical staff member per three children until the first day of the month after they turn three. 2. Leaders are included with a weight of 85 percent instead of 100 percent. 3. Government funds allocated for social staffing are excluded from the ratios
As a result, the ratios from 2023 are not directly comparable to the ratios for the years 2015-2022, which have not been adjusted according to the three legal requirements. Adjusted staffing ratios according to the law for 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 can be found in the memo from the Ministry of Children and Education: ´Omregnede normeringer på kommuneniveau´.
Starting from 2023, pool scheme institutions are also included in the statistics. Pool scheme institutions are nurseries, kindergartens, or age-integrated institutions established under sections §101 or §102 of the Act on Day Care Facilities, and subject to the same regulations as private institutions. Since 2007, no new facilities have been established. Private day care providers under the pool scheme are not included in the statistics on Childcare before school start.