The PROSUS tool

The PROSUS tool is currently available in Swedish and Finnish (see drop down menu). We are working on a translation to English, which will hopefully be available in late Spring 2021.

The tool covers three interrelated dimensions of sustainability; ecological, social/cultural, and economic. Each dimension is approached through five aspects that link current research in sustainability education within ECEC to the daily practices and pedagogies in ECEC. The process of using the tool has two phases; each team member first reflects individually on each of the themes in the tool and teams then gather to discuss their understandings as well as to fill out the digital form. The collegial learning process thereafter continues through goal-directed and planned team work.

The current version of the tool has been developed in collaboration with practitioners and experts in ECEC in Finland during 2019 and 2020. It has also been piloted by teams (n=49) in a diverse range of ECEC settings both in the Helsinki metropolitan area and in rural settings from various parts of the country. The settings represent both municipal and private ECEC, small and large settings, as well as settings with children aged from 0 to 6 years.

Partly, the developmental process has been conducted with financial support from the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture through the projects Hållbar verksamhetskultur at University of Helsinki and the project Övningsdaghem at Åbo Akademi University. The development of the tool has been documented through studies and for the time being we have two articles in review and another in progress. Links to publications will be shared soon as possible.