Rest and sleep in preschools from the perspective of legislation and practice

Ema Selič and Marcela Batistič Zorec

Summary:  In two preschools in the region of Savinjska and Central Slovenia, we researched the process of rest and sleep, specifically whether it is possible for children to choose to reject sleep as well as the activities organised for children who do not feel the need to sleep. We were also interested in the legal provisions in this area in terms of children’s safety and health and the extent to which preschool teachers, nutritionists, health and hygiene regime organisers, headmasters and the health inspector understand and respect these provisions. For the analysis, we used the descriptive and causal non-experimental method of pedagogical research as well as quantitative and qualitative data processing. The common practice followed in both preschools was that all children had to lie down, but after a certain duration, children who did not fall asleep were allowed to get up and play. The results revealed statistically significant differences between the two selected preschools in the course of rest or sleep and in the activities organised for children who do not sleep during preschool. We found the practice of setting children’s beds in an alternate manner (head to feet) to be particularly questionable. From the educational workers actions, it is evident that they do not reflect on whether their rest or sleeping arrangements are in accordance with legal regulations, the curriculum for preschools (1999) and children’s rights.