Hur pratar man omsorg? : En hermeneutisk studie om hur pedagoger ser och skapar utrymme för barns omsorgsbehov i form av sömn, vila och återhämtning i samverkan med hemmet

Sammanfattning: A hermeneutic study about how preschool teachers cater for children’s need of sleep, rest and recovery in cooperation with parents. This study aims to explore how preschool teachers view the term care. The questions posed are designed to inquire how preschool personnel view the care needs of children in the area of sleep, rest and recovery, and how communication with caregiver functions. Furthermore, the study explores how preschool personnel creates conditions for sleep, rest and recovery for children. The material basis for the study consists of a quantitative survey of 33 answered questionnaires, and a qualitative survey of eight interviewed preschool personnel. Pre-existing studies have been used to clarify the term “care” and how the body and brain is affected by sleep, rest and recovery. The study proceeds from the ecological theory of development and takes a hermeneutic approach with the goal to understand how different systems effect how children´s need for care is met. The results of the study suggest that preschool personnel view “care” as a fundamental condition for the children´s ability to fully assimilate the education that the preschool offers. Furthermore, some of the questioned suggests that “care” ought to incorporate caregivers, and the communication between caregivers and the preschool. It is discovered that it is not always enough to share scientific knowledge regarding sleep with the caregivers, but rather that, how the children need of care in mentioned area is communicated, determines if the caregivers are reached or not. It further seems important for preschool personnel to be able to meet the care demands of the caregivers, so to create a long-term trust and collaboration between them and the preschool in order to cater to the individual needs of the child. Preschool personnel highlight the importance of creating conditions for sleep, rest and recovery, that are both spontaneous and structured in nature, so to best see to children's needs. However, some factors seem to challenge the ability for preschool personnel to create conditions for the full range of individual needs of children. The study also shows how higher levels of preschool management, such as principals or politicians indirectly effect how teachers actualize the term “care”.