Introduction: In Sweden, the care of children, now referred to as preschool, has always been acornerstone of the welfare system while also serving multiple purposes. It has evolved fromsupporting and nurturing poor children, to providing childcare that enables women to work, andnow, to offering education. But the preschool institution has never been solely focused on thechildren attending but has always been shaped by broader objectives. A variety of ideas, interests,and actors have influenced what preschool should be, both in and for Swedish society—such as aplace for integrating foreign-born women into the labor market, a space for language training, or forparental support. At the same time, the educational aspect of preschool has strengthened, leading to amore professional hierarchy, for example the professionalization of leadership of pre-schoolteachers.This contribution aims to problematize the complex governance signals that preschools mustnavigate and discuss the implications for preschool as welfare organizations, for its professions, andfor its key participants—the children. It seeks to challenge simplified views of governance, oftenillustrated by straightforward metaphors, and to contribute to the literature on preschool managementby offering perspectives on organizing, a complement with more practice-oriented discussions.

Method: The paper analyse and highlights expectations when pre-school becomes a place for otherpolicy areas such as gender and integration relating to the labor market policy showing howpreschool has never been solely about care and education for children.

Results: Child- care and pre-school has always been an arena aim to address broader societal goalsacross different policy areas. However, as preschool has become part of the educational system and aspace for teaching, public debate has increasingly emphasized preschool’s role in education and as achild’s first step into the educational system. Meanwhile, other guiding ideas and expectationsremain relevant, even if less visible in discourse.

Conclusion: We argue that the lack of studies focusing on the organizing and management inpractice of preschool diminishes understanding of its complexities. A more process-focused andcreative approach to studying preschool management would benefit the field