Reykjavik's preschool directors warn a staffing exodus is crippling childcare services just months after Iceland's shortened 36-hour work week began. All city-run preschool heads sent an urgent letter to the mayor this week, demanding action and criticizing authorities for delaying a key reform package called the 'Reykjavik Route.'
Líf Magneudóttir, who chairs the steering group for that reform and leads the Left-Green party in Reykjavik, confirmed the pressure. She said the committee will deliver its revised proposal in February. "We know how urgent this is," Magneudóttir said. "We feel that people are leaving us, very good staff, experienced preschool directors."
A System at Breaking Point
The directors' letter states they face impossible demands since the work week reduction took effect. Employee weekly hours dropped from 40 to 36, but managers were not allowed to hire additional staff to cover the gap. This creates a direct conflict, as the average childcare time for children in city preschools remains about 40 hours.
"Our patience is exhausted," the letter states. The directors added they no longer trust themselves, under current conditions, to bear responsibility for the situation within their schools. The letter explicitly links the staff shortage and unsustainable workload to the implementation of the shorter work week without corresponding funding for new positions.
The Political Response
Líf Magneudóttir acknowledges the crisis. She called the warnings from preschool principals about conditions, staffing, and the implementation of the shorter work week "important." Her steering group's task is to revise the planned "Reykjavik Route," a broader strategy for the city's preschool system that was postponed amid these pressures.
"This is the issue and we are doing as well as we can," Magneudóttir stated, confirming the February deadline for the group's report. The political challenge lies in balancing a popular national policy—the shorter work week—with the gritty municipal reality of providing consistent, quality childcare.
The Core Contradiction
The crisis highlights a fundamental mismatch between policy and practice. Nationally mandated shorter hours for staff collide with unchanged parental needs for full-time childcare. Preschools are legally required to be open for roughly 40 hours a week to serve working parents, but must now cover that time with staff working 10% fewer hours.
Without additional funding to hire more employees, the shortfall is absorbed by existing staff through increased intensity and unpaid work, leading to burnout and resignations. This creates a vicious cycle where remaining staff face even greater pressure, accelerating the exodus mentioned in the directors' letter.
The Stakes for Reykjavik Families
The stability of the city's preschool system is critical for Reykjavik's economy and social fabric. If experienced directors and staff continue to leave, it risks lowering the quality of early childhood education and creating uncertainty for thousands of families. Reliable childcare is a cornerstone for parental employment, particularly in a city with high living costs.
Delays or disruptions in service could force parents to reduce work hours or leave jobs, undermining the economic benefits the shorter work week was designed to provide. The directors' letter is essentially a warning that the foundation of this social contract is cracking.
The Nordic Context
Iceland's move to a 36-hour week was watched closely across Scandinavia as a bold labor market experiment. This Reykjavik preschool crisis serves as a critical case study. It shows that progressive labor reforms in the public sector require significant, upfront investment and careful systemic redesign, not just a change in hourly mandates.
Other Nordic municipalities, many facing similar childcare challenges and workforce pressures, are now observing how Reykjavik resolves this tension. The solution, or lack thereof, will influence policy debates on work-life balance across the region.
The February Deadline
All attention now turns to the steering group's report due next month. It must propose a viable "Reykjavik Route" that reconciles the shorter work week with sustainable preschool operations. Solutions will likely require significant municipal investment to increase staffing levels, potentially reshaping the city's budget priorities.
The report's reception by the city council and mayor will be a major test. It will reveal whether Reykjavik is willing to pay the true cost of its pioneering labor policy, or if the vision of a shorter week will buckle under the weight of daily logistical reality.
A Question of Political Will
The preschool directors have drawn a clear line. They have stated they can no longer manage the deteriorating situation without structural change. The ball is now in the court of Reykjavik's political leadership. The February proposal must translate political support for the shorter work week into concrete, funded solutions for the frontline services that make it possible for everyone else.
Failure to do so will not only damage the city's childcare system but could also tarnish a flagship national policy. The coming weeks will determine whether Iceland's capital can solve this equation or if its noble experiment will be remembered for creating a crisis in early childhood education.