Data content will be developed for new services and experts from all cities will be involved in the work. Comparative information can be used to assess the costs of services, support decision-making and service management, and be used, for example, in joint lobbying.
Collaboration between the six largest cities on the comparison of services provided by the cities has been carried out since 2002, and early childhood education has been involved since the beginning. Now, new service entities have also been added to the comparison. In addition to early childhood education, the new website of the six largest cities provides information on cultural and library services, sports services, youth services and basic education.
Participation rate in early childhood education for children under 3 increased in the six largest cities
The proportion of children under the age of 3 participating in early childhood education and care has increased in the six largest cities in recent years. In addition to the increase in the participation rate, children have also been observed entering early childhood education at a younger age. The share of children under the age of 3 in services has increased and the starting age has decreased so that the number of children aged 1–2 in early childhood education has increased.
“The operating environment of early childhood education has changed greatly in recent years. It is very important to cooperate with the sixth largest cities, as well as to collect different comparative data on early childhood education and pre-school education. In my work, I use this comparative data almost monthly. Our cooperation has a long tradition and has deepened over the years. I know that this comparative data is also used by many other organisations, and through the new website they will be more widely available," says Miia Kemppi, Head of Early Childhood Education, City of Helsinki.
Swimming halls and libraries are actively visited in the six largest cities
The high number of sports service users in the six largest cities indicates the importance of the services in promoting the health and well-being of the population. For example, a total of 6.7 million or 3.5 visits per capita were made to the six largest cities in 2023.
"In the comparison, important information is produced to support the planning of services," says the chairman of the sports services working group, Turku City Sports Services Director Markus Kalmari.
The use of cultural and library services in the six largest cities shows growth after the coronavirus pandemic years. The increase can be seen, for example, in the number of museum visits, visits and loans from libraries. In 2023, the libraries of the six largest cities had a total of nearly 20 million physical visits. In 2023, there were 10.3 visits per capita, which was 1.6 more library visits than in the previous year.
The six largest cities – Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Turku and Oulu – are the six largest cities in Finland. Approximately two million Finns live in these cities, i.e. more than a third of the entire country's population. The six largest cities account for over 40% of Finnish jobs and 55% of Finland's GDP.
