Kindergärtnerin

I visited in the Kindergarten last Monday - just because I was intrested how different it is from Finlands. The kindergarten teachers were pleased I wanted to come and invited me - not only for a visitor, one of the teachers had a day-off  - so I found myself actually working.

There are couple of big differences from Finland:

1.  There aren´t any age-groups. Three to six -year-olds are in the same group, so the older children learn to give a hand for the youngers when needed and if a kid doesn´t have any brothers or sisters, he/she can still experience what it feels like to be with older and younger kids. The children have still their own "pedagogic time" between 9-13 o´clock in age-groups, and in that time it is not allowed to bring them there or pick them up.
2. The Kindergartens are not established from cityes or towns. Different institutions, like Catolic church or Red Cross (like this one I visited) form them.
3. Only 3-6 year olds go to kindergarten, younger ones go to a "Krippe" (grip), if that exist near and there is space or them. Mothers usually stay home until kids turn to 3 years old.
4. Lunch is served for kids, but if they have any allergies or have some conviction, they must bring their own food. For example, my host-familys son have lactose intolerance, so he must bring his own food everyday with him.

Monday we celebrated one girls 5-year birthday and five to six years olds had their own "Rhytmik" -musical moment. All the children weren´t there, because it costs 25 euros for a year, having "rhytmik" in every monday. In Finland this wouldn´t exist - I mean, of course we have music "lessons"  too, but usually it´s not allowed to do anything you have to pay.

In Germany most people are big fans of Finlands school system - PISA results are high, elementary school takes 9 years, not 4 years, so children doesn´t have to focus on school so hardly in very early age in Finland.

But there is a special thing called "Hort", which we Finnnish people could learn a lot. Hort isn´t kindergarten, it´s for kids in the age of 7-10, and it´s like afternoon club after school for the kids whose both parents are working. So when the 7-years olds schoolday is over at 11pm but parents are doing 8-hour work day and maybe home at four-five pm, children can go to Hort to do their homework and play with other kids, maybe eating dinner. Here Hort is open daily at 10-18.30 o´clock and what´s more important, it´s open in school holidays too. Many parents in Finland found it hard that children have so long summer holiday, 2 and half months, and employers usually give holiday for o month only.

Why don´t we have Hort in Finland, too?