Integration and Inclusion Through Daycare in Denmark

Abstract

Recent increases in immigration to Denmark have posed challenges to the once ethnically and culturally homogenous country. Denmark’s aging workforce and low birthrate require immigration, but lack of experience incorporating newcomers into its labor force and social institutions has rendered immigration a controversial political topic. Native Danes worry that immigrant populations will consume costly welfare benefits that were never intended for their use. As Danish policymakers endeavor to adapt to the country’s new demographic, Denmark’s comprehensive daycare system has emerged as a tool for tackling issues of integration and inclusion. This paper explores Danish policy efforts to encourage the daycare attendance of immigrants and their descendants and to restructure daycare programs to better serve their needs. It argues that Denmark’s current approach to daycare is an effective path for the advancement of immigrants and their descendants, based on past scholarship and case studies on these populations. Analysis of current Danish policies and their outcomes, supplemented by interviews with Danish municipal employees, daycare staff, and students, contends that policies have been successful in improving daycare and higher education attendance, but can do more to address the cultural barriers to implementation and achievement.