Changing Faces: Workforce Instability, Segregation and Inequalities in Early Childhood Education and Care (WISEG)

In the research consortium WISEG, we investigate the segregation of workforce instability in early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Finland. We explore the interconnections of educator shortage, turnover, and volatility—that is, workforce instability—which, as a combination, may contribute to inequalities between children and families attending ECEC in different areas. We analyse the emergence and manifestations of workforce instability from macro to micro levels with a multimethodological approach, including the analysis of longitudinal register data and long-term ethnography. Our ethnographic work focuses on ECEC centres with high levels of educator turnover, which may appear as frequently changing faces for children and families and influences the daily activities of ECEC centres. The research contributes to the debate on how inequalities are socially and spatially constructed in education, already in the ECEC phase. The research consortium includes the University of Eastern Finland and Tampere University.