There is a great need for activities for foreign-born parents. During parental leave, there is a risk that new parents become socially isolated. Many foreign-born women have children around the same time they receive their residence permits (making it difficult to join in organised integration activities following their arrival), or they come to Sweden through family reunification and lack their own networks. Many regular integration efforts, such as language courses, normally stop in connection with parental leave.

The target group is newly arrived parents. The beneficiaries are primarily women, but there are also efforts to reach out to fathers.

The open preschool offers various activities for young children accompanied by their parents. Because of these activities, the district administration identified the open preschool as a good place to develop targeted integration activities for adults, since it is an easily accessible and natural meeting point for parents on parental leave.

Language learning

Language lessons take place in various forms to suit varying levels of knowledge. For some students, regular language courses can be the right format, while for others social activities with embedded language support can be a good first step. The children are always present during the sessions. Mothers can participate in ‘Swedish with baby’, which helps them learn Swedish while creating networks between newly arrived and Swedish people.

Labour market support

To connect with the labour market, a study and vocational counselor makes regular visits. This creates the conditions for parents to plan for future work and studies while they are on parental leave.

Parenting

The premises are used as a platform for other parental support measures, such as parenting programmes. Confidence in being a parent is seen as an important part of the integration process. The preschool has started intensive work to reach out to foreign-born fathers.

Social services

The open preschool is under the same administration as social prevention work in the district. Social workers and family counselors work at the open preschool, in addition to educators.

Recreation and culture

Other examples of activities at the preschool are a recurring bicycling school that helps to strengthen the self-esteem of the participants. There are also visits to museums, parks and art exhibitions. In addition, through project funding from the County Administrative Board, newly arrived women can participate with their children in various cultural activities.

New initiatives

A coordinator stimulates the development of new initiatives. Flexibility and knowledge of visitors’ needs and wishes guide the way forward.

The open preschool in Rågsved has created an attractive and flexible range of initiatives in a strategic setting for integration. It has allowed parents to continue their integration process even when parental leave would normally create an interruption.

The project has been evaluated as a best practice by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions.

Funding and support come from the administration of the district of Enskede-Årsta-Vantör in the City of Stockholm, through the social services budget.