Between 10–17 October, Efling Union conducted a survey among its preschool workers regarding Reykjavík City’s proposed changes to the organisation of preschool operations. The survey was sent to 1,150 members, and 594 responded – a participation rate of nearly 52%, which is considered high.
Just over half of respondents expressed a positive view of the proposals, saying they looked good or very good. Around 19% were negative, while a little over one fifth were neutral.
When asked directly about their expectations for the reform’s success, respondents were again generally positive. Nearly half agreed or strongly agreed that the proposals would achieve their intended goals, compared to one quarter who disagreed or strongly disagreed. About 17% were neutral.
An open question invited respondents to share which improvements they considered most urgent within preschool operations. Responses revealed deep concern among staff about fundamental issues. The overwhelming majority of answers focused on staff shortages and the heavy workload resulting from them — by far the most pressing problems according to respondents.
Almost three out of four participants said they were fairly or very familiar with the City’s proposals, suggesting that responses were based on solid knowledge of the matter.
“It’s great to see such a high participation rate in our survey, and it doesn’t surprise me that Efling members view these changes positively. Reykjavík City now has a valuable opportunity to move in step with its staff to create a better and safer preschool environment. I encourage the City’s majority to work with us on further development and implementation of these proposals,” said Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir, Chair of Efling.