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

<p dir="ltr">Data Management Plan for project 'Evaluating phase three of an implementation of Open Kindergarten, a Scandinavian approach to supporting early years families'.</p><p dir="ltr">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.</p><p dir="ltr">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.</p><p dir="ltr">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.</p><p dir="ltr">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.</p>