Österreichisches Jahrbuch für Soziale Arbeit

Preschool Institutions in Socially Deprived Residential Areas

Zusammenfassung

This article illustrates the effort and importance of preschool institutions when working with socially vulnerable children and families in Denmark. When institutions are physically located in socially deprived residential areas, the pedagogical personnel conduct their work with a social pedagogical approach in everyday practice. The author’s research investigated such professionals’ work in preschool institutions in socially deprived residential areas. The article exemplifies pedagogical interventions in everyday life, and points to the fact that the development of pedagogical practice creates a framework for developing and improving the social pedagogical efforts that are targeted at socially vulnerable children and their families. As there is no common concept related to day care, to avoid misunderstandings, the article uses the term “preschool”, which seems to be the most neutral international term, instead of using “nursery school” (UK), “Kindergarten” (D), “kindergarten” (US), “ecole maternelle” (F) or “bornehave” (DK) – terms that carry different connotations or sometimes overlap. The term combines the ideas of welfare and education in a Danish context.