Forældreforståelser i pædagogisk praksis: om forældresamarbejde i daginstitutioner

The article is about parental collaboration in ECEC institutions. We draw on empirical material derived from survey data (n=104) as well as transcripts from four group interviews with staff (n=25) from six ECEC institutions (0-6 years of age) in two different Danish municipalities. The article explores pedagogues’ experiences of encounters with parents. The analyses show that staff view the majority of parents as open and engaged. When collaboration with parents is perceived as challenging, it is particularly related to situations involving concerns about children. In such cases, staff tend to categorize parents as, for example, ‘overly sensitive,’ and such categories can hinder pedagogues from engaging with parents in nuanced ways. Conversely, we show how categories can dissolve when staff get the opportunity to reflect together