The City of Tampere's annual customer experience survey on pre-primary education was conducted in early spring 2026, collecting a total of 376 responses. The survey was sent to pre-primary education client families via eVaka, and the results of the survey will be compared with the previous year's survey, where applicable.
This year's survey includes some structural changes. A "Don't know" option was added to the optional questions, which contributes to the comparability of the results. In addition, the previous separate service satisfaction survey sent to clients in pre-primary education has been merged with this year's client experience survey.
The overall feedback for the pre-school year is clearly positive, with the majority of the feedback given relating to praise. Almost 90 percent of respondents feel that the pre-school services were very successful, an increase of 29 percentage points on last year's survey result. The pre-primary education staff were the most appreciated in the survey, described as wonderful, professional, warm and committed. Many responses indicated that the child enjoyed going to pre-school and that the child had made progress during the year.
The positive feedback is also clearly reflected in the other themes of the survey. The vast majority of respondents say that the pre-school setting was what they wanted and that the pre-school activities were varied, giving the child sufficient opportunity to play and thus learn. The atmosphere in the pre-school group is seen as encouraging and supportive, and 92 percent of respondents feel that their child has received sufficient support to grow and learn. In addition, guardians feel that their child has been noticed and accepted as an individual and as a member of the group.
The survey covered a range of topics, including noticing sustainable lifestyles, equality and equity, experiences of bullying, communication and cooperation between pre-primary and primary education.
In their responses to the questionnaire on sustainable lifestyles, parents mention the use of recycled materials, sorting waste, reducing food waste and exploring the local nature. Social and cultural sustainability also comes up in some responses, although the topic remains unclear for some respondents.
In the feedback from guardians, cooperation between pre-primary education and school is seen as positive and important. Cooperation between pre-primary and primary education, such as visits, joint days and functional encounters with grades 1 and 2, are perceived as increasing the relevance and safety of the children's school path.
In the area of equality and equity, respondents are generally satisfied with the performance of their pre-primary education unit. However, some respondents found it challenging to answer this question as they were not fully aware of the content of the topic in pre-primary education.
In addition, guardians consider that ensuring accessibility and clarity of language is particularly important, for example from the point of view of multilingual families. Responses to the survey stress the importance of taking into account the diversity of families and life views, for example in terms of organising celebrations.
Gender-sensitivity in pre-primary education is seen as positive. Guardians would like children not to be guided or subject to valuation on the basis of their gender. Respondents stress the importance of active and consistent intervention by adults in the face of bullying, discrimination and racism. In addition, respondents attach importance to strengthening children's interaction and emotional skills, to children's inclusion and to discussing diversity.
Bullying is described in a variety of ways in the open responses to the survey, ranging from teaching young children interaction skills to repeated bullying. Staff intervention in bullying situations is described as swift and effective. On the other hand, some responses describe staff intervention as sporadic, inadequate or downplaying bullying situations. There is also concern about the adequacy of staff presence and supervision, particularly in outdoor play.
The vast majority of respondents say that they have received sufficient information and advice on issues related to pre-primary education, which is a more positive trend than in the previous survey. In addition, 77 percent of parents say they have been involved in setting objectives for the pre-school year. Nevertheless, guardians would like to see clearer, more proactive and inclusive information. In terms of cooperation between pre-primary education units and guardians, they would like to see open interaction and clear information on the day-to-day running of pre-primary education.
The areas for improvement identified in the survey focus on structures and resources, such as the physical learning environment of the pre-primary education unit, noise, outdoor activities, group sizes and staff retention. In addition, the survey responses raised concerns that pre-primary education is too school-like in places.
Feedback received from guardians is used to improve our preschool program. Thank you to everyone who responded!
