Inclusive leadership in Finnish early childhood education centres – leading pedagogy, professional development and the community

Purpose Inclusive education is a core principle of Finnish early childhood education (ECE), requiring leadership that supports inclusive pedagogy, professional learning, and collaboration with the wider community. Despite strong policy emphasis, little empirical research has examined how ECE centre leaders perceive inclusive leadership. This study explores leaders’ perceptions and develops a refined measurement tool suited to the Finnish ECE context. Design/methodology/approach A translated and adapted inclusive leadership scale was administered to 116 leaders from public and private ECE centres across Finland. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to examine the structure of ECE leaders’ perceptions of inclusive leadership and to enhance the scale’s parsimony. Findings Three dimensions of inclusive leadership were identified: (1) leading pedagogical processes, (2) constructing an inclusive community and (3) leading the professional development of staff. Leaders reported engaging most strongly in supporting inclusive pedagogical practices and staff competence development, while community-level collaboration was less frequent. Group comparisons revealed small but significant differences: leaders in public and smaller centres reported more community-oriented practices, whereas leaders in private centres reported more active support for staff professional development. No differences were found based on leadership education, special education studies, municipality size, or years of work experience. Originality/value The study introduces a validated, shortened measurement scale for examining inclusive leadership in ECE settings. It also highlights the need to lead community-level collaboration as a key component of inclusive practice.