Representations of Care in Norwegian Kindergarten Annual Plans

This article explores how care is represented in the annual plans of Norwegian kindergartens. In Norway, all kindergartens are required to develop annual plans that inform authorities, parents, and stakeholders about the institution’s pedagogical practices. Although the national framework plan clearly articulates the importance of care, each kindergarten must specify how it intends to implement this value in practice. On the basis of a document analysis of 25 annual plans (drawn from an initial set of 50), this study addresses the following central research questions: How is the concept of care represented in the annual plans of Norwegian kindergartens, and which aspects of care are emphasised in these documents? The analysis reveals variation in how the concept of care is expressed. In some plans, this concept is largely absent or only briefly mentioned; in others, it is undercommunicated in comparison to learning. Where this concept is present, care is frequently associated with safety, emotional support, and a secure base. However, the annual plans tend to overlook the national framework plan’s emphasis on valuing the children’s own acts of caring and thus make no reference to ethical care. Analysing local curricula, as exemplified by Norwegian annual plans, may provide insights that are relevant beyond the Norwegian context, as processes that involve adapting national frameworks into local practices are common in many countries. Such analyses can reveal how teachers perceive and interpret a formal curriculum.