Second Visit to Finland within the AWARE Project: Deepening Cooperation

From 18 to 24 January 2026, within the framework of the international educational project AWARE — Advancing Psychosocial Wellbeing and Resilience in Early Childhood Education in Ukraine, Liliia Hrynevych, Vice-Rector of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Olha Vyhovska, Director of the Academy of Teaching, and Tetyana Datsenko and Tetyana Holovatenko, Deputy Directors of the Teachers' Academy, together with colleagues from Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav, paid a working visit to Finland.

The visit programme combined working meetings, academic discussions, and hands-on familiarisation with Finnish approaches to organising early childhood education. During the sessions, presentations were delivered by Marianna Kukko, Dean of the School of Professional Teacher Education at HAMK University of Applied Sciences, members of the academic staff — Samu Toivonen, Mari Korhonen, and Irmeli Linnel — as well as practicing early childhood educators. The participants discussed the progress of the project implementation, analysed the developed training modules, and jointly planned further steps.

An important part of the visit was a study visit to forest groups of a private early childhood education institution, where participants had the opportunity to observe the educational process in a natural environment firsthand. This experience demonstrated how the Finnish early childhood education system integrates exploration of the natural world, learning, free play, and support for children’s physical and psychosocial wellbeing.

In Helsinki, a meeting was held with Kirsi Lindroos, Director of the Secretariat for International Relations, and Tarja Kahiluoto, Senior Adviser at the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. The discussion focused on systemic approaches to the development of early childhood education, professional development of managers in this field, and ways to support Ukraine in implementing advanced educational practices. The project team also met with heads of early childhood education institutions in the city, which provided practical insights into institutional management and governance approaches in Finland.

In addition, the participants attended the large-scale educational event Educa Fair, which facilitated professional exchange of ideas, a deeper understanding of Finland’s educational context, the development of partnerships, and the implementation of best practices in Ukraine.

We express our sincere gratitude to Johanna Tervo, Judit Kalervo, and Emmi Pakkala for their professional organisation, coordination, and comprehensive support, which made the visit programme to Finland both meaningful and highly productive.