ABSTRACT This article explores the deployment of numerical criteria in the practices of steering by presenting a local case of governing early childhood education (ECE). In this case, a specific numerical tool for governance, namely, child–staff ratio is used in various ways in the everyday life of preschools. This paper uses data from interviews of preschool teachers and city administrators in charge of organization of ECE in one Finnish municipality and policy documents. The concepts of assemblage are used to explore how child–staff ratio receives various roles in steering the everyday life of preschools. The paper also explores the roles of teachers in the policy assemblages related to child–staff ratio. Focusing on these local-level practices, the article demonstrates that teachers are central components of the fluctuating ECE policy assemblages that involve governing by numbers.

中文翻译：

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儿童/员工比例的波动：芬兰幼儿教育中的数字控制

摘要本文通过介绍控制幼儿教育（ECE）的本地案例，探索了数字标准在转向实践中的应用。在这种情况下，学前班的日常生活中以各种方式使用了一种专门的数字化治理工具，即童工比率。本文使用来自芬兰某市政府和政策文件中负责ECE组织的学龄前教师和城市行政管理人员访谈的数据。组合的概念用于探讨教职员比例如何在指导学前班的日常生活中发挥各种作用。本文还探讨了教师在与儿童与员工比例有关的政策组合中的作用。着重于这些地方层面的实践，