Barn, barndom och fritidshem

This position paper highlights children’s perspectives and childhood(s) in school-age educare (SAEC). There are several reasons for this: firstly, many children spend a lot of time in SAEC and SAEC is thus an important arena for shaping Swedish children’s childhood(s), secondly, children, compared to adults perspectives regarding cooperation, learning and organisation of SAEC activities, have been given relatively little space in SAEC research, thirdly, children, children´s perspectives and childhood in SAEC is basic in relation to the mission of the SAEC which, among other things, highlights children’s interests and participation, fourthly, due to recent shifts in the SAEC’s mission teaching has been emphasised possibly at the expense of other missions important for children’s everyday lives. Our position is that highlighting children’s perspectives in research directed to SAEC supports our understanding of their everyday life but also the conditions of the SAEC practice as such. We therefore want to discuss the potential of giving children’s voices even more space in research on SAEC. This is done based on the perspective of childhood sociology and emphasize: the child's rights to and in SAEC, the SAEC’s mission in relation to children’s perspectives and SAEC as an arena for children’s everyday lives.