Study Visit to Finland within the AWARE Project

From October 27 to 31, 2025, Acting Director of the Education and Research Institute “Academy of Teaching” Olha Vyhovska and her deputies Tetiana Datsenko and Tetiana Holovatenko, together with colleagues from Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav, took part in a study visit to Finland.

The visit took place within the framework of the international educational project AWARE – Advancing Psychosocial Wellbeing and Resilience in Early Childhood Education in Ukraine.

Throughout the week, the participants attended meetings, seminars, and visits to educational institutions focused on studying Finland’s experience in early childhood education, trauma-informed practices, and psychosocial support for children.

The program began with an introduction to early childhood education teacher training at Häme University of Applied Sciences and a presentation of Finland’s early childhood education system by Finnish colleagues.

The representatives of the university delivered a joint presentation on Ukraine’s early childhood education system and the preliminary results of a study on the professional needs of preschool educators in the Kharkiv region and the challenges of providing psychosocial support to children during martial law.

The intensive program also included workshops on early identification of special educational needs, integration practices, and psychosocial support for families, as well as visits to private and municipal kindergartens in Hämeenlinna, where participants learned about different child-rearing approaches and observed the work of an English-speaking group.

Two study days in Helsinki included meetings with representatives of the Finnish National Agency for Education, participation in the Global Educational Partnerships Forum 2025, and visits to the Oodi Library, the Psychotraumatology Center of the Deaconess Foundation, where discussions focused on support for children and adults affected by war-related trauma, as well as an introduction to the work of the Mieli Mental Health Finland organization.

Background:
The AWARE project is implemented in partnership between Häme University of Applied Sciences (Finland), V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, and Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav, with the support of the Finnish National Agency for Education.

The goal of the initiative is to develop trauma-informed training for educators working with children in the context of war-related challenges, as well as to conduct joint scientific research. The implementation of AWARE will contribute to enhancing teachers’ professional competencies, sharing international experience, and advancing early childhood education in Ukraine.