National school authorities frequently introduce policies intended to shape local pedagogical practices in preschools. One example is the Swedish National Agency for Education’s improvement initiative Collaboration for Better Schools (CBS). Our aim is to generate knowledge about how professionals participating in this initiative have experienced and been affected over time, and to deepen understanding of improvement efforts in educational practice.Earlier research shows that improvement initiatives are shaped by local conditions (Olsson & Fredriksson, 2024). However, there is limited knowledge about how professionals experience large-scale, long-term initiatives such as CBS (Nordholm et al., 2022), especially in preschools. The CBS initiative includes policy elements and is understood in the study through policy enactment (Ball et al., 2012), focusing how actors interpret, reinterpret, and handle such initiatives. This study draws on qualitative data from eleven semi-structured interviews with professionals in four preschools, and leaders in one municipality. The first analytical step is inductive; the second applies the concept of interpretative repertoires—clusters of terms, descriptions, and metaphors (Wetherell & Potter, 1992)—and explores relations between them. institutional ethical approval was obtained. Informed written consent was obtained, participation was voluntary, and anonymity was ensured. Participants report improved pedagogical practice and positive professional development. The initiative was, however, interpreted inconsistently across organisational levels, contributing to a gap between preschool staff and municipal actors. Across Europe, national initiatives exist and understanding how centrally formulated policies are locally enacted can support dialogue about shifting expectations in pedagogical practice.