A visit from the Fulbright Foundation

The purpose of the trip is to familiarise ourselves with Icelandic educational priorities.

Spring and summer are a time of harvest, achievements and visits. Recently, staff at the Education and Public Health Department of Hafnarfjörður welcomed fourteen teachers from the United States who were in the country as part of the Fulbright Hays programme. This visit is a follow-up to the group's previous visit to Iceland in 2021. The group has been travelling extensively around the country to learn about education and educational priorities in Iceland, including in Hafnarfjörður.

A bridge, prosperity and a child-friendly municipality

The group met with representatives from the Department of Education and Public Health and Family and School Services of Hafnarfjörður, who presented the group with procedures. The Bridge's, the success of the City of Hafnarfjörður's work and child-friendly municipality. In nurseries and primary schools, there are special bridge teams where professionals work together to increase the well-being of children and their families. The Bridge is a procedure that strengthens support and services for children in nurseries and primary schools who are facing challenges. The focus is on providing tiered services as quickly as possible. At the first tier, less intensive resources are activated; at higher tiers, more targeted resources are activated and interdisciplinary collaboration is initiated. Child-Friendly Local Government is an initiative that supports the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child throughout the local authority's governance and activities. The presentations sparked lively discussion, and the guests were very interested in the City of Hafnarfjörður's working methods regarding children's affairs.