“Cries In American Mom”: Mom Shows What Daycare Looks Like In Finland, And Westerners Are In Awe

In this hectic world, home and daycare should be collaborators, not competitors.

But in many places of the Western world, inadequate access to it creates significant barriers for any parent who hopes to participate in the workforce or access training that can advance their careers.

In the US, for example, as many as 100,000 Americans have been forced to stay home from work each month because of childcare issues, and the economic toll now amounts to $122 billion each year in lost earnings, productivity, and revenue.

So if the federal government wishes to continue investing in emerging sectors like clean energy and semiconductors, it might be in its best interest to look after the people who can and want to contribute to these industries instead of being forced to stay on the sidelines.

To prove that things can be different, we invite you to take a look at a video uploaded to the internet by mother and content creator Annabella Daily that reveals how daycares operate in the Scandinavian country of Finland.

More info: DailyJungleKids.com | Instagram | TikTok

For Finnish parents, it's important to raise children to be independent," Annabella told Bored Panda. "That doesn't mean that you take less care of them; it's just that you provide them more opportunities to develop self-efficacy so that they can learn to trust themselves and their capabilities."

"By the time kids are 7, they usually go to and from school by themselves and also attend hobbies and playdates. By 9, they are usually arranging their own playdates! In the US, parents arrange everything and accompany children everywhere, and even hover over them on playgrounds, so they have fewer opportunities to start developing self-efficacy."

Annabella said Finns raise their kids trying to help them find out what makes them happy.

"Success is not necessarily about achievements, top grades, or financial well-being," the mother said. "Rather, it's about contentment. In the US, success is very much tied to money, accolades, and top grades. Relaxed, fun play is not really on the list! In the US, a child's success is sort of a reflection of you as a parent."

She said that in Finland, play is considered an integral part of child development and even education, so providing opportunities for kids to play by themselves in peace is thought to be the basis of their journey through life. In the US, kids seem to be very scheduled, and play is structured. According to Annabella, this gives the impression that they have fewer opportunities to be in charge of their own contentment and innovate within their environment to discover what makes them happy.

The parental leave in Finland lasts for 320 working days, which is approximately 14 months. If the child has two parents, both of them are entitled to 160 working days of leave leave. (Additionally, one parent may give up to 63 parental leave days to the other one.)

Once their right to parental leave has ended, parents can choose either municipal or private daycare for their child or child home care allowance.

The official name for daycare in Finland is early childhood education and care (ECEC). It's part of the Finnish education system, and together with pre-primary education and basic education form a whole that progresses consistently in relation to the child's development and learning. All children under school age are entitled to ECEC even if one or both parents are at home.

Finnish municipalities run daycare centres, group family daycare and family daycare for children aged 0–6 years. Parents have to apply for a place in municipal daycare four months before it starts and can get a place in two weeks if they get a job or start studying.

The fee charged for municipal daycare isn't fixed; it depends on the family's income, size and the number of hours per week the child spends in early childhood education and care.

Private daycare centres and group family daycare centres in the country also work with children aged 0–6 years. To get a place here, parents apply directly to a facility of their choice but can also look for a private family caregiver to look after their child in their home, or hire a caregiver in their own home.

The price for private daycare varies more. However, there are ways parents can get an allowance for the fees from the Social Insurance Institution (Kela), meaning that in some cases private daycare isn't that much more expensive than municipal daycare. (However, if you pay for a caregiver in your home, you become an employer, and you must fulfil an employer's obligations.)

All of this seems to be working. One of the world's most generous and successful welfare states, Finland has a lower infant mortality rate, better school scores, and a lower poverty rate than the United States. On top of that, it ranks as the happiest country on Earth.