Support Groups in Kindergarten. Experiences from parents in Malvik Municipality

Confidence in the parental role is vital for children’s mental health and development, as well as for parents’ wellbeing and role fulfilment. Rapid societal changes, digitalization, and exposure to contradictory or misleading information increasingly shape parenting and complicate parents’ role navigation. Parents may experience reduced self confidence, uncertainty about their parenting, and challenges in managing everyday upbringing. In hectic everyday lives, the kindergarten, is the arena where parents most regularly meet other parents and professionals.

This paper reports on a development project in Malvik Municipality, titled “Hele familien går i barnehagen!” [The whole family goes in the kindergarten!]. The project is framed within the National Programme for Public Health Work in Municipalities (2017–2027) in Trøndelag county. The backdrop for the project was an increase in the number of inquiries to the municipal support services from parents expressing a need for guidance in navigating the parenting role. An inclusive, low-threshold approach was developed based on the idea of address the parents’ needs within the group context. The aim was to strengthening parental confidence in everyday upbringing, promoting peer support and strengthening the parental community. Parental support groups were offered in the kindergarten. The support groups were arranged as regularly hourly parent evenings in the kindergartens working with various preannounced topics. Experienced kindergarten teachers, supervised by the municipal psychologist, led the groups. Topics were selected based on the professional’s experience-based knowledge of parental needs and frequently raised questions, as well as feedback on the parents evening.

The project is evaluated in spring 2026 by focus groups interviews with participating parents. The presentation will report on the preliminary findings regarding the parents’ experiences of participating, their self-reported outcomes as well as providing insight into their self-perceived needs for support in the parental role. These empirical findings will form the basis for a discussion of how kindergarten best can support parenting in an increasingly complex and changing world. Furthermore, how can this support best be offered, organized and sustained in a municipal context.