Projekt UfEBB

Inequality in Early Childhood Education Systems

Daycare facilities in Germany play an important role in the education of three- to six-year-olds, but not of children under three, a highly discussed issue in German society. Results of recent studies indicate that children of privileged social groups generally are overrepresented in daycare centers but are the minority in the earlier childhood care sector. Little is known about the particular circumstances of and arrangements for pedagogical practices in childhood education for under-three-year-olds, particularly the unequal conditions for development. Further, the beliefs of educators and parents have not been explored.

The UfEBB project focuses on the care and education of children under the age of three. Through observation of children and group discussions with practitioners in daycare centers for under-three-year-olds, the research team investigates the profile of the centers and the professional self-concept of pedagogical employees. In addition, through interviews with parents the researchers identify the beliefs and needs of different social groups regarding daycare facilities and services as well as the unequal preconditions of the children attending such centers.

Selected Publications

Andresen, S. (2013). Die schwierige Balance zwischen Fürsorge und Freiheit. Kinder verbringen immer mehr Zeit in Kindertageseinrichtungen und Schulen-doch fühlen sie sich dort auch wohl?. In DJI Impulse: Kinder- und Jugendhilfe im Wandel (pp. 22–26). München: DJI Verlag.

Betz, T. (2013). Anforderungen an Fachkräfte in Kindertageseinrichtungen. In M. Stamm, & D. Edelmann (Eds.), Handbuch Frühkindliche Bildungsforschung (pp. 259–272). Wiesbaden: Springer VS.

Leuzinger-Bohleber, M. (2012). Ein transdisziplinäres Klassifikationssystem emotionaler Störungen als Reflexionsrahmen für Emotionen in Organisationen – ein Beispiel. In T. Hoyer, U. Beumer, M. Leuzinger-Bohleber (Hrsg.), Jenseits des Individuums – Emotion und Organisation (S. 21-43). Schriften des Sigmund-Freud-Instituts, Reihe 3: Psychoanalytische Sozialpsychologie, Bd. 6. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.