
Sonja Jarila
Innovator
Pupula
Finland
Economic
Rural Areas
Rural village
The innovation journey
During the recession of the 1990s, the city decided to close Pupula kindergarten in Karkkila, Finland. Parents decided to set up a cooperative to safeguard the services and future of Pupula. The innovation is the only one in Finland of its kind. Mrs. Sonja Jarila has been Managing Director of the cooperative since 2009.
There is room for 21 children, currently, there are 18 children. The place is fully booked until mid-2025 and for a long time, there have been more incoming children than could have been accepted. Number of members in the cooperative is about 100. They are all parents of the ‘clients’ (children). They are members of the cooperative as long as their kids are in kindergarten. The membership fee is 84.09 euros and the start fee is 33.64 euros. The board consists of 5–7 parents of children currently in the kindergarten. The board is chosen annually, but many parents who have become chosen continue for many years.
The innovation impact
Because the kindergarten is a cooperative, parents decide many things concerning the care of their children, including recruitment of employees and additional activities (if there is money) e.g. excursions and movie trips. The cooperative provides an opportunity to have a small, intimate and safe place for the children. The small scale of the operation affords practical food and nature education. The kindergarten employs 4 people.
The municipalities in charge of the provision of kindergarten services should observe the option of buying private services to provide options for parents (e.g. small units). Increasing awareness of the cooperative model is also important as many do not know that such is possible and has many advantages (e.g. possibility to directly have an influence on the services by the parents).