Data Management Plan: Evaluating phase three of an implementation of Open Kindergarten, a Scandinavian approach to supporting early years families

Data Management Plan for project 'Evaluating phase three of an implementation of Open Kindergarten, a Scandinavian approach to supporting early years families'.

The Open Kindergarten approach to early years family support originated in Sweden and has been widely adopted across the Nordic countries. Open Kindergartens provide low-threshold support for families The approach focuses on the role of parents and offers a drop-in service which is staffed by Early Learning practitioners, focusing on integrated family support.

The approach is non-stigmatising and engages parents in stay and play activities. in addition to offering a stay and play model, the Open Kindergarten approach actively facilitates interaction, not only between parents but also parents and practitioners.

An advantage of the model is that it is extremely flexible – alternative approaches may be required in different localities and Open Kindergarten can be responsive to the changing needs of communities and individual families.

The evaluation will adopt an ethnographic approach, comprising: observations of open kindergarten sessions; semi-structured interviews with practitioners and parents; diaries kept by parents and practitioners; focus groups with parents; and a demographic survey. Thematic analysis will be used for qualitative data.