Early childhood education

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Early childhood education includes the education of children from birth to preschool age. In contrast to early intervention , early childhood education is about promoting the intellectual, moral, cultural and physical development of non-disabled children . It is usually viewed in close connection with the care and upbringing of the child. Early childhood education encompasses different institutional forms in different European countries ( kindergartens , pre-schools , school kindergartens, among others, including level 0 of the ISCED classification) and is increasingly seen as relevant for the area of ​​day nurseries . The early childhood education is the one discipline of pedagogy that deals with early childhood education and development (see also: Developmental Psychology ).

Influence on child development

The first years of childhood are seen as a time window with special development and learning opportunities, in which the foundations for all later learning processes are laid.

Increasingly, children and educators are seen as active co-constructors of knowledge and culture.

The 12th report on children and adolescents shows that children enter into relationships in early childhood and learn to develop their abilities and to appropriate their environment, and that “the development and education processes of young children [...] depend in every respect on the Living environment that their primary caregivers and other adults provide them "are. A special role is assigned to the caregivers . With regard to early childhood education, the report emphasizes: "In the early childhood phase, at the latest from the age of three, children need new educational opportunities that expand and supplement the family framework."

In the 13th child and youth report, reference is made to the role of the family and the individual characteristics of children under three : “Successful or less successful developments can be seen as the result of a more or less good fit between the skills and (educational) ideas of the Describe parents and the life context of the family as well as the development skills or the temperament of the child ”.

Cross-national projects and initiatives for early childhood education

Early childhood education is considered to be one of the key areas in the European Union at the beginning of the 21st century that requires increased attention from member states. In the EU, special attention is paid to language training for children who are disadvantaged by personal, social, cultural or economic circumstances. Pre-school education and care play a particularly important role in the social integration of children.

Like adult education, early childhood education was a central theme of European cooperation within the framework of the work program of the EU education ministers for general and vocational education in 2010 . In 2007 the education ministers emphasized the importance of the quality of training for early childhood educators, curriculum development and the human and financial resources of institutions for early childhood education.

The 2006 Communication from the European Commission, Efficiency and Equity in European Education and Training Systems , emphasized that early childhood education could improve the basis for further learning, prevent dropping out of school, lead to more equity in education and raise general levels of competence . The subsequent study Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe: Tackling Social and Cultural Inequalities examined cross-border data and national guidelines on early childhood care, education and upbringing in Europe, particularly with regard to social integration. The following was also found in connection with the study:

  • According to the intention of the European Commission , the rate of four-year-olds attending an educational institution is to be increased from the current 87% to 90% by 2020.
  • In Europe there are currently two organizational models for early childhood education and care: either a single facility for all pre-school children or, alternatively, separate facilities for children under three and for children aged three to six.
  • Of all the social, cultural and economic factors that can jeopardize children's educational attainment, poverty is the most serious. Almost every sixth household in Europe with a child under six falls below the poverty line .
  • High-quality pre-school education provides all children with a good basis for lifelong learning and reduces educational disadvantage.
  • The most important elements for high-quality education and care are seen as: firstly, a favorable child-carer ratio, secondly, high-quality (academic) training for staff, and thirdly, the involvement of parents.

The Early Childhood Education and Care Policy Project of the OECD , a political project for early childhood care and education, also aimed to state across information on the relevant situation in OECD countries and to provide the related policy areas.

The OECD studies Starting Strong showed a comparison of the investments of the OECD countries in early childhood education and care and led to the recommendation that more investment should be made in early childhood education, especially in Germany. The results of the PISA studies also put early childhood education more in the focus of education and social policy in Germany. In this context, the framework agreement of the federal states for the improvement of early education in day-care centers was drawn up in 2004.

In order to do justice to the changing times and the changing challenges to education, UNESCO launched the ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) program in 2015. This program is intended to reorganize the education system and strengthen the role of education within its five years.

Numerous day-care centers across Germany are already implementing the ESD program and are receiving support from the KITA21 project, a network developed by the SOF Save Our Future environmental foundation.

A lack of general state responsibility encourages other innovative day-care centers, private initiatives, educational projects and foundations outside of this network to make it their task to promote early childhood education more intensively.

Their aim is also to give the children the basics of learning themselves. The playful development of “ self-competencies ” (ability of self-articulation, self-assessment, openness, self-confidence) and learning to solve problems with creative solution strategies in community with others are the main features.

State-specific structures and institutions

Germany

Historical development since the 19th century

First and foremost, the establishment of childcare facilities in Germany was a reaction to mass impoverishment (pauperism) in connection with industrialization and urbanization in the early 19th century. On the other hand, there was an educational movement based on the ideas of Froebel and Pestalozzi had certain educational goals. Historians point out that the tension between care and support on the one hand and education and upbringing on the other led to controversies between the various actors (municipalities, church, parties, educators, etc.) from the start. In Germany, religious pluralism and the comparatively weak competition between churches and the state resulted in a fragmentation of the care structures rather than the rapid development of a universal system.

In 1851, according to Prussian law, the Froebel kindergartens were banned; they were re-admitted in 1860. In the 19th century there was a class-related separation of childcare, so-called Volkskindergartens for the children from materially disadvantaged, on the other hand citizen kindergartens for the children of the middle class. From the very beginning, however, approaches became apparent that did not strictly separate toddler care and education. In 1839, according to Prussian law, the "waiting schools" were under the supervision of the school authorities and were considered part of the educational sector. This changed in the early 20th century and was related to the influence of the ideal of the patriarchal bourgeois family with the mother as housewife and the implicit intimate mother-child relationship. Public upbringing was a makeshift aid of inferior quality than maternal home upbringing. A demarcation of child care from school-based education only took place in 1890 in the Prussian law on welfare education (assignment to youth welfare). In the Weimar Republic there was a national school conference in 1920 with the aim of restructuring the education system, including childcare, whereby the majority opinion was reflected in the Reich Youth Welfare Act of 1922 (responsibility for bringing up young children falls under the administrative responsibility of the youth welfare offices). Around the 1970s, a second decisive phase can be recorded in which the course was set for future developments. It is mainly characterized by the change to a service society, which was accompanied by an increase in the employment of women and necessarily a pluralization of the nuclear family model. Bahle describes the family policy reaction in Germany as a subsidiary approach, whereby the basic tendency of the state is to support the family in fulfilling their social tasks. As a result, no investment is made in expanding childcare, the offer lagged significantly behind in an international comparison and was mostly limited to part-time positions in the western federal states. During the school and university reform of the 1970s, the federal and state commission for educational planning demanded that day care be assigned as the first level of education in the field of education. The reunification brought together two societies that developed very differently in the field of childcare. In the GDR, childcare was integrated into the school sector, with responsibility for the Ministry of Education. It was mainly offered by state-owned companies and was very well developed. After the transfer of the West German system to the new federal states, the welfare associations had to establish themselves in the new federal states, whereby more institutions remained there than existed in the west. With the Child and Youth Welfare Act (KJHG) of 1990/91, responsibility for the new federal states changed back to the welfare sector, and the Bavarian special route was legitimized. Only recently, especially since 1991 with the introduction of a legal right for 3-year-old children to attend a daycare center, have the expansion and quality of care been further developed with regard to discussions on equality and compatibility, as well as discussions on education and integration. The question of the assignment of competencies was revived in 2002 by Germany's poor performance in the PISA study. As a result, the Education Ministers' Conference in 2002 determined that education should have priority over care. In 2003, the European Council decided to introduce benchmarking for childcare, according to which 33% of children under 3 and 90% of children between the ages of three and school age should have access to childcare.

Basic structures today and some data on the extent of public care

Characteristic for Germany is a strict separation between offers for children before school age (kindergarten / day care centers and day care) and school as an educational institution and other offers of formal education. Allocating toddler care to the welfare area does not, however, represent a special approach in an international comparison, but it is unique for Germany that this strict separation is maintained through institutional regulations and strong interest groups.

Day nurseries are for children under 3 years of age and are organized either independently or as a group within a kindergarten. Day care plays a major role. In the new federal states, the number of available places is significantly higher and the time structures also differ significantly.

Proportion of available places based on the
respective age cohort in 2002 and the
respective proportion of all-day places
nursery
places 		Share of
all-day
places in day
nursery
places 		Children
horticulture
places 		Share of
all-day
places in
kindergarten
places
Western Federal states 2.7% 72.0% 88.1% 24.2%
East Federal states 36.9% 97.8% 105.1% 98.2%

The duration of the care differs considerably between the federal states. For children in KiTas, the contractually agreed care times show considerable differences when compared to the federal states. When using full-day care, there is a range between Baden-Württemberg, where only 8% of non-school children aged three and over use more than 7 hours of care per day in a day care center, and Thuringia, where it is 88%. When it comes to the care time of less than five hours a day in a daycare center, there are also clear ranges. For example, 6.5% of non-school children aged three and over in Thuringia use this care time, while in Lower Saxony over 74% only go to a daycare center for half a day.

Institutional organization

The administrative responsibility lies with the local youth welfare offices, in Bavaria, however, due to the legal assignment to the education sector, the state is responsible (Ministry of Education).

Responsible agencies in the field of child and youth welfare are the districts and independent cities as well as supra-local agencies, provided that these are determined by state law. (Section 79, Paragraph 1 of Book VIII of the Social Code) priority is given to independent organizations (Section 4, Paragraph 2 of Book VIII of the Social Code), i. H. The charities, churches, NGOs and private associations have a prerogative to offer child care. The public bodies have overall responsibility and responsibility for planning and they have an objective legal obligation to ensure that there is a need-based offer of all-day places (obligation to cooperate, Section 24 (1) sentence 2 SGB VIII), as well as a need-based offer of places for children under three years of age to be kept in day care facilities / child day care (Section 24 (2) SGB VIII).

The responsibility for financing follows the administrative responsibility, i.e. it is mainly the responsibility of the municipalities, which on a national average account for around 85% of the total costs, in addition to parental contributions and contributions from the providers as well as minor contributions from the federal states. The states have regulated the structure of the financing very differently and are directly involved in the financing to different degrees, in the city states there is extensive direct participation, in Lower Saxony, however, no direct participation by the state is planned. There are also considerable differences in the determination of the parental contributions, which are not always set at the state level. Following a discussion about equal opportunities and a qualitative improvement in the “pre-school year”, some federal states are now offering the last year of kindergarten before school free of charge. The Saarland started out in 2000. Berlin, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and Lower Saxony (2007) followed suit in recent years. In Hamburg, the last year of kindergarten will be offered free of charge from August 2009. In Schleswig-Holstein, too, the last year of kindergarten should be free of charge with effect from August 1, 2009. With this regulation, the federal states bear a different amount. In 2009, Rhineland-Palatinate will introduce the second year of non-contributory kindergarten with the aim of making kindergarten entirely non-contributory by 2010.

All-day places are rare in many places and make up just under a quarter of all available places in the old federal states (almost all of them in the new federal states). The opening times, especially the closing time during the summer holidays, are poorly adapted to the needs of working parents. Parents have no co-determination rights in kindergarten, they are only informed and heard. Since January 1, 1996, children from the age of 3 have a subjective, public legal right to attend a day care center (Section 24 (3) SGB VIII); this legal right is implemented in the federal state laws. On January 1, 2004, the law on the quality-oriented and needs-based expansion of day care (TAG) came into force, but in which no new legal claims were stipulated. In addition, there is an obligation to provide adequate places for children under three years of age and of school age (Section 24 (2) and (3) SGB VIII). Entitlement can also arise as an aid to upbringing if an upbringing that is appropriate to the best interests of the child is not guaranteed (Section 27 (1) SGB VIII). According to Section 24 (3) SGB VIII, places are to be reserved for children under the age of three if the legal guardians are both employed, looking for work or in training. The scope of support depends on needs. The Child Promotion Act, which came into force in 2008, is intended to accelerate the expansion of high-quality childcare facilities and thus give parents real options. After completion of the expansion phase on August 1, 2013, the legal right to a daycare place is to be introduced for all children from the age of one to three.

Development tendencies, current challenges and discussions

Since the introduction of a legal right to a place in kindergarten, there has been a significant expansion of places in day-care centers. However, it is still criticized that in most of the federal states the supply rate is still too low (below 88%) and that there are too few offers for all-day care (national average of 21%). The opening times do not match the needs of working mothers. In addition, children from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds and children with a migration background are underrepresented. The EU benchmarking for places under 3 years of age for 2010 does not seem feasible. In addition to the question of the institutional structure of day-care centers, the question of content orientation is increasingly coming to the fore. Some states such as Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and North Rhine-Westphalia try to strengthen the quality of the content of early childhood education more intensively through transfer projects from science and practice.

In Germany, the male breadwinner model is still predominantly represented, in which the mother interrupts her gainful employment to look after children and the father takes on the role of breadwinner. The “modified” breadwinner model, in which the mother does not quit completely, but switches to a part-time position, is now also frequently encountered. Both patterns are sequential. The first steps have been taken with the reform of parental leave in 2000 and the introduction of the right to part-time work. The introduction of parental allowance in the sense of a wage replacement benefit as well as the advanced needs-based expansion of the crèches also point in this direction. These developments are designed to ensure that the model of parallel compatibility becomes practical.

The federal structures in Germany pose their own problems. When it comes to the question of which area of ​​competence kindergarten education is allocated to, the resulting different legislative competencies are decisive. Allocation to the education sector would result in legislative and administrative competence of the states, the federal government exercises the supervision. The existing assignment to social affairs results in federal competence, since the federal government has competing legislative competence in this area; administrative competence lies with the states. It is said to be unique in a European comparison that in Germany a rigid institutional separation of the area for children under school age (care / child and youth welfare) and the area of ​​school age (education system) is confirmed and maintained by institutional links and strong interest groups. This confirms path dependencies and acts as an obstacle against a more dynamic expansion of early childhood educational structures. In the existing assignment of the upbringing of small children to welfare, it is not possible to achieve a financial obligation on the part of the federal government. The municipalities are overwhelmed with the financing in the face of empty coffers and "are among the most violent critics of the expansion of their obligation to provide places ... without reforms of the financial constitution." The necessary expansion of the care infrastructure is currently blocked by the so-called federal financing entanglement trap the costs are mainly incurred by the municipalities, but the benefits are more likely to come from the federal government, the federal states and social security funds.

Discourse and criticism

In Germany, early childhood education is partly viewed in connection with the question of the ability of children to attend school : skills acquired at an early stage are cited as a justification for making the timing of school enrollment more flexible . In this way, an underload of individual children can be avoided. This approach has met with criticism, as children could be overwhelmed and sufficient opportunities to play are not guaranteed. Early childhood exercise and play education up to sports education in the sports kindergarten not only promote motor skills, but also the training of the will and the willingness to learn and create favorable conditions for learning through ever new stimuli .

There are also different views on the educational tasks of kindergartens. On the one hand, they are seen as places of preparation for school, with their own curriculum , and on the other hand, as facilities in an area to be separated from the school, in which a holistic, comprehensive concept of education has priority over standardized curricula.

The term is sometimes applied to the age range from 0 to 10 years.

France

In France , children aged two to six can attend the école maternelle . Of the children who are three years old or older, 99% attend the école maternelle ; 35% of the two-year-olds.

From the age of around two and a half months, children can be cared for in a crèche (day nursery) or a halte-garderie (after -school care center for short-term care), with early intervention playing an important role in each case. In addition, there are various models of care by an assistant maternelle ( childminder ).

Great Britain

Historical development since the 19th century

Early childhood education has a long history in Great Britain . Organized forms of care and education existed for children as early as the 18th century. The organization of this care was mostly based on a voluntary and philanthropic basis. In the 19th century it was above all John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau , later also Friedrich Froebel , Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and Maria Montessori , who influenced pre-school education in England.

It was the class distinctions to make ( "class division") have contributed significantly in the UK to child care and appropriate institutional arrangements (among other social institutions) significantly. The relationship between church and state was not disturbed by the distribution of competencies with regard to social and family policy. Rather, the problem of class differences was important for Great Britain for two reasons: on the one hand, because of early, strong industrialization and, on the other hand, as a result of industrialization, the emergence of the industrial working class that worked completely independently of agrarian structures.

Class differences have always been a major factor influencing the development of pre-school care in Great Britain. The state was reluctant to take up the problem of childcare, but ultimately it was unavoidable. Children who came from poor backgrounds were cared for in state-funded institutions with the aim of providing care and a rudimentary training in writing and arithmetic. The middle and upper classes distinguished themselves from the working class by choosing privately financed care facilities (so-called public schools ).

Historically, there has been little, slowly emerging public obligation to organize childcare in Britain. This was supported by a long prevailing “ male-breadwinner family model ”. For women, part-time work was the only way to reconcile family and work .

However, it is important to note the class differences here too. Depending on the social status , the images of motherliness and the use of care within and outside the home vary. In the UK, childcare and schools have long been the responsibility of local authorities. Childcare facilities were financed through fees and government grants.

Basic structures today

The UK pre-school care and education system is structured by a variety of different offers. In addition to state and municipal institutions, there are also a large number of private childcare options. There are Crèches (nativity scenes), Toddler Groups (Toddler Groups), pre-school and playgroups (preschool and playgroups), Child Minders (sitters), home Childcarers (local child care), Nannies (nanny), Maternity Nurses (baby nurses) , Neighborhood Nurseries (neighborhood kindergartens ), Nursery Schools (kindergartens) and Reception Classes (preschool classes).

There are no legally stipulated framework conditions for determining the group size and the supervision ratio in the “Nursery Schools”. In the Children Act of 1989 only the recommendation is made that “26 children should be looked after by two adults (a qualified teacher and a nursery assistant). The School Standards and Framework Act of 1998 recommends a class size of no more than 30 children for the "Reception Class".

There is no state-sponsored care network for children under three years of age. It is up to the parents to find and pay for a carer or a day nursery if necessary .

Two thirds of the children under five years of age attend a care facility (such as the nursery school ). The proportion rose from 21 percent in 1970/71 to 64 percent in 2007/08. This number partly reflects the increased availability of childcare places. In 2007/08 there were 3,273 state-sponsored nursery schools, while in 1970/71 there were only 723 schools. That's about four and a half times as many. 35 percent of the three- and four-year-old children were cared for in other care options, for example play groups, in 2007/08. “In 1999, 98% of all four-year-olds were enrolled in a pre-school program. 56% attended entrance classes (reception class) that are attached to the primary school. Another 22% attended nursery schools run by local education authorities (LEAs), 15% private and volunteer programs (e.g. playgroups) and 5% independent preschools (e.g. private day nurseries). "" Almost all institutions in the area early childhood care are all-day facilities, with the vast majority being public schools. The UK government committed itself to preschool education and care through the 1990s National Childcare Strategies. The aim is to improve the quality of childcare and to create additional childcare places. ”Since 2004, free part-time places have been available in the“ Nursery Schools ”for all three- and four-year-old children, provided that the parents register their needs. The British government is trying to increase and improve the range of publicly funded care and education through cooperation with private institutions. These cooperation institutions then receive financial support from the government.

Institutional organization

All areas of the state education system are responsible at a central level. The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) only partially delegates tasks (e.g. to OFSTED). Pre-school education includes all children aged 0-5. Children aged three to four most often attend nursery schools . These are independent institutions, but in some cases they are attached to primary schools . Children under the age of four can also attend the so-called “Reception Class” (pre-school class). This is part of the "Primary School". Attending a preschool facility is voluntary, and visiting public facilities is free of charge. Compulsory schooling begins in the UK for children aged five. In Great Britain there has been a “Foundation Stage Curriculum” since 2000 , an educational plan for children aged three to five. “The Education Act of 2002 obliges all state-sponsored schools and preschool institutions (including the Early Excellence Centers and Children's Centers) to ensure that a curriculum is implemented. The aim of this curriculum is to promote the intellectual, moral, cultural and physical development of children inside and outside schools and preschool facilities. ”The Foundation Stage curriculum applies to children of preschool age. Planned playful activities are intended to ensure that all children have the opportunity to use their full potential and get the best possible start to their education. The design of the pre-school care system makes it clear that this part of the educational area is intended to prepare children for school. Books, for example, play a central role in work in the preschool area. The national curriculum also emphasizes the importance of institutional education for children.

Development tendencies and current challenges

The UK is constantly striving to combat social inequalities and create equality of opportunity through fair conditions. A large number of legal undertakings illustrate this. In 1997, the first “ Early Excellence Centers ” were founded in Great Britain . With the School Standards and Framework Act , which came into force in 1998 , the government transfers responsibility for creating adequate childcare places for children aged 2 to 5 years to the local level. (Since then there have been free part-time places for four-year-old children for 5½ hours a day, five days a week). Since 2004, part-time places have also been available for three-year-old children, provided that the parents register a need. In 2003 the “Sure Start” initiative was launched by the DfES. It is essential to make places available for all children, to support health education, education and to promote emotional development (an offer that is increasingly offered in socially disadvantaged areas). With the 2004 law "Every Child Matters" we are also striving for an effective service that is geared towards the needs of children and their families. In addition, the law has further increased the planning and inspection of early education . The support for families is also related to the aim of reducing child poverty .

Denmark

Historical development since the 19th century - beginnings and changes

In Denmark in the 19th century there was a two-tier, classist policies that impact on the establishment of nurseries had. Thus, on the one hand, the first day nursery for the children of workers with a strong emphasis on discipline and cleanliness was founded in 1829 and, on the other hand, the Froebel kindergartens for the wealthy classes with an educational program were founded in 1870. At the beginning of the 20th century, integrated facilities emerged as people's kindergartens. Education and care were combined in these facilities. Public subsidies for day-care centers began in 1919. The prerequisite for this was that two thirds of the children had to come from families with a low income. This was also described as a characteristic of the residual model. The residual model basically states that the children should stay at home, but they are still given a place in kindergarten. In 1949 kindergartens for children of higher classes were also publicly subsidized. After all, since 1951 the municipalities have been legally obliged to subsidize day-care centers. In 1964 there was a turning point. The residual was replaced by the universal model. The target group were now all children. Universalistic elements have gradually gained acceptance since the 1960s. The concept of preventive child care (institution as a policy of care and prevention) was replaced by that of a socio-educational institution. This development was based on the agreement of different parties, with child-related and pedagogical arguments in the foreground.

Basic structures today and some data on the extent of public care

The basic structures or the characteristics of the Danish child welfare model are: 1. The relatively high level of public commitment to support, organize and finance the children not of school age; 2. Universalism is the central criterion for politics; 3. The social-educational goals of the services are in the foreground in child care.

In addition to the public daycare offers, there are also private groups, which are often organized by the parents. These pool scheme centers for children are financially supported on the basis of a per child flat rate. The organizers of the centers are often parents on parental leave or parents who are not employed. The municipalities are also developing increasingly open offers, especially for this target group. The choice between public and private forms of childcare has also been regulated by law in Denmark since 1998 in the Social Services Act. The municipality can also offer parents a cash benefit as an alternative to a childcare place.

Since the 1960s and 1970s there has been an expansion of the supply quotas with the aim of increasing female employment and expanding universal educational approaches for children. The supply quota for children under / over three years up to school age from 1995 is 50% for those under three and the share of places for children from 3 to 5 years is 80%. In contrast, the supply rates at the end of the 1950s were 10% of 3- to 6-year-olds and 5% of those under 3-year-olds. Furthermore, since the mid-1990s, separate school offers for children of preschool age have been established, which were initially designed as part-time offers only for the group of six-year-old children. The reason for this was the late compulsory education of the children, namely at the age of seven. These preschool classes at primary schools exist in addition to the day-care centers that were attended in the mornings as a separate 3 to 4-hour part-time offer by 98% of the 5 to 6-year-olds (since 1990 5-year-olds have also been admitted), often also in Combination with a subsequent visit to day care centers. The pre-school classes are therefore the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and, at the local level, the school administration.

Institutional organization

The day care centers for the age group of 3 to 7 year old children are assigned to the area of ​​public welfare or social services and follow the youth welfare model of the organization of day care facilities. These day-care centers for children have been expanded since the 1970s with the aim of promoting the integration of women and working mothers into the labor market. Another guiding principle was “the expansion of socio-pedagogically oriented day-care centers within the framework of municipal youth welfare as well as gender equality reforms in social and tax policy.” Administrative responsibility initially lay with the National Ministry of Education in the 1920s and was transferred to this in 1933 when the Ministry of Social Affairs was founded. And since the Social Law of 1974, which came into force in 1976, the parliament has been responsible “for legislation on financing structures, requirements for skilled workers” and for parental contributions. The municipalities, on the other hand, decide autonomously on the scope of the offer, the relationship between childcare facilities and day care, as well as the prices for services and staffing. It has been financed by state subsidies from the Ministry of Social Affairs since 1933 and the municipalities have been obliged to co-finance since 1951. Since 1964, however, the responsibility for financing lies equally with the state, the municipalities and the parental contributions. Furthermore, "in 1987 the targeted state subsidization was replaced by a lump-sum grant as block funding to the municipalities (removal of the earmarking), but supplemented by state subsidy options for specific purposes." Furthermore, the parental contributions for those under three to five year olds are no longer 30% , but since 2000 up to a maximum of 33% of the total costs. And that on the condition that the municipalities guarantee a place. Since 2000, most municipalities have been granting this “child care guarantee” for children from 1 to 5 years of age, which includes several options between different types of offer. This municipal care guarantee is functionally equivalent to a legal claim. However, since 1993 parents have been able to influence expenses and opening times as so-called parents' councils.

In total there are 6 one to three year olds or 10 three to six year olds for every educator in Denmark. Training as a so-called pedagogue with a “professional bachelor's degree” takes two and a quarter years. It contains twice six months and once three months internship. This training of the Danish Pædagogs follows the ideal of the self-determined child. In addition to the “professional bachelor's”, it is also possible to graduate as a “candidate” in two further years at the DPU or to obtain a “diploma” in one year at a seminar-related training center (CVU) and after a further year make the DPU the "master". After training as a pedagogue , it is conceivable to work in day-care centers or in preschool classes or to look after the elderly, those who are difficult to educate , the disabled and the homeless. In the daycare centers, children receive holistic, i.e. cognitive, social, psychological and physical support.

Development tendencies, current challenges and discussions

Since the 1960s and 1970s, there was an expansion of day-care centers. This development was based on a broad agreement of the various political parties on the labor market and gender equality policy goals and also the responsibility for financing and cost sharing between the state, municipalities and parents. Denmark today has one of the highest (full-time) female employment rates in Europe. Around 19% of Danish employed women worked part-time in 1999 . The share of places in public childcare for children under 3 is also highest in Europe. Education issues have also gained increasing attention, such as problems with literacy problems. For this reason, since the 1990s, children as young as 5 years of age have been able to be admitted to preschool classes in schools. The most important change since the 1990s is "the increasing decentralization of decision-making authority over childcare and the shift to the municipalities." Another significant change is that the choice of different childcare arrangements has been expanded for the municipalities. In addition, since parental leave was introduced in 1994 , municipalities have provided a supplementary allowance for children under three as an alternative to a childcare place. As no day care center may be used during parental leave. The introduction of parental leave has also reduced the demand for childcare places for children under three.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Warwick Mansell: Children can fall behind as early as nine months. Study of 15,000 children finds significant correlation between performance at nine months and five years. The Guardian , February 17, 2010.
  2. ^ Wassilios E. Fthenakis: The educational mandate in day-care centers: a controversial area? (No longer available online.) In: Online Family Handbook. August 7, 2008, archived from the original on August 9, 2009 ; Retrieved August 11, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.familienhandbuch.de
  3. ↑ a b 12th report on children and young people (2005) p.33
  4. ↑ 13. Children and Youth Report (2009) p.82
  5. ↑ a b Education connects - Conference of European Ministers of Education. Final communiqué. (PDF; 57 kB) (No longer available online.) March 2007, archived from the original on January 14, 2014 ; Retrieved August 10, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bmbf.de
  6. ↑ a b c Education and care: Practice early in Europe. Retrieved August 11, 2009 .
  7. ↑ Eurydice - The information network on education in Europe. (PDF) (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 13, 2011 ; Retrieved August 10, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.eubuero.de
  8. ^ Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe: Tackling Social and Cultural Inequalities. (PDF; 2.4 MB) (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on March 2, 2011 ; accessed on August 10, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / eacea.ec.europa.eu
  9. ↑ Starting Strong II: Early Childhood Education and Care. OECD, accessed on August 11, 2009 .
  10. ^ Debate on funding for early childhood education. August 3, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2009 .
  11. ↑ The World Action Program in Germany | ESD - Education for Sustainable Development. Retrieved November 21, 2017 .
  12. ↑ SOF Save Our Future Environmental Foundation: Home. Retrieved November 21, 2017 .
  13. ↑ gdp education and innovative pedagogy. Retrieved November 21, 2017 .
  14. ↑ The future of learning begins in daycare - an interview with Axel Thelen from educcare | Binoro. Retrieved November 21, 2017 .
  15. ↑ Builder wanted! Ι iibk - Institute for Innovative Educational Concepts. Retrieved November 21, 2017 .
  16. ^ Robert Bosch Foundation: Robert Bosch Foundation - Research College for Early Childhood Education. Retrieved November 21, 2017 .
  17. ^ Norbert Kühne : Pre-school education - change and pedagogical profession of early education, Raabe Verlag, Stuttgart 2017
  18. ↑ cf. Scheiwe, Kirsten: Institutional change in early childhood education - a European comparison in: Peter Cloos / Britta Karner (eds.) Upbringing and education of children as a joint project. On the relationship between family education and public childcare, Schneider Verlag, Hohengehren 2009, p. 12.
  19. ^ Bahle, Thomas "Historical trajectories and new directions" in Sheiwe (ed.): Child care and Preschool developement in Europe. 2009, p. 29.
  20. ↑ Scheiwe, Kirsten "Slow motion- Institutional Factors as Obstacles to the Expansion of Early Childhood Education in the FRG" in: Child Care and Preschool Development in Europe - Institutional Perspectives, 2009, p. 183ff.
  21. ↑ Scheiwe 2009 (see above)
  22. ↑ Bahle, Thomas "Historical trajectories and new directions" in Sheiwe (ed.) Child care and Preschool developement in Europe 2009, p. 33.
  23. ↑ Bahle 2003, p. 76ff.
  24. ↑ Federal Ministry for Family, Seniors, Women and Youth: OECD Early Childhood Policy Review
  25. ↑ Figures from: Bildungsserver, Country Report on Early Childhood Education Systems 2008, Bertelsmann Foundation
  26. ↑ Scheiwe, Kirsten: Legal framework conditions of day-care facilities for children from three years to school entry - the German model from a comparative perspective; in: Scheiwe / Schuler-Harms, Current Legal Issues in Family Policy from a Comparative Perspective, Baden-Baden 2008
  27. ↑ http://www.abendblatt.de/politik/deutschland/article595530/Arbeitgeber-forder-Kindergartenpflicht.html May 22, 2009
  28. ↑ Scheiwe, Kirsten: Institutional Change in Early Childhood Education - A European Comparison, in: Petre Cloos / Britta Karner (Ed.) Upbringing and Education of Children as a Joint Project. On the relationship between family education and public childcare, Schneider Verlag, Hohengehren 2009
  29. ↑ Federal Ministry http://www.bmfsfj.de/bmfsfj/generator/BMFSFJ/kinder-und-jugend,did=118992.html  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.bmfsfj.de  
  30. ↑ Scheiwe, Kirsten: Legal framework conditions of day-care facilities for children from three years to school entry - the German model from a comparative perspective; in: Scheiwe / Schuler-Harms, Current Legal Issues in Family Policy from a Comparative Perspective, Baden-Baden 2008, p. 78.
  31. ↑ Early Childhood Education ( Memento from September 9, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  32. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from March 14, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / nifbe.de
  33. ↑ http://www.rechtswoerterbuch.de/recht/k/konbewerbiende-gesetzgebungskompetenz/
  34. ↑ Scheiwe 2009, pp. 92f
  35. ↑ Scheiwe 2009b
  36. ↑ Scheiwe 2009, p. 107.
  37. ↑ So young, so smart, so overwhelmed. (No longer available online.) Www.sueddeutsche.de, archived from the original on August 22, 2009 ; Retrieved August 20, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sueddeutsche.de
  38. ↑ Arnd Krüger : When should children start exercising? Peter Lösche (Ed.): Göttingen Social Sciences Today. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht 1990, pp. 278-308.
  39. ↑ Richard Münchmeier: Education is more than learning - concepts for an appropriate understanding of education in the preschool sector. (PDF) In: Using the opportunities of the early years - learning and education in preschool age. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Landesbüro Sachsen-Anhalt, 2004, accessed on August 20, 2009 (p. 24, ISBN 3-89892-324-X ).
  40. ↑ Early Childhood Education. (No longer available online.) Ministry of Education, Science and Culture Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, archived from the original on April 28, 2008 ; Retrieved August 11, 2009 .
  41. ↑ Alexander Wegener and Inge Lippert: Study Family and Working World - Framework Conditions and Corporate Strategies in Great Britain, France and Denmark. (PDF) (No longer available online.) July 30, 2004, archived from the original on April 11, 2009 ; accessed on August 15, 2009 (Berlin). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. P. 51–56 ( Memento of the original dated April 11, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. and 83–84 ( Memento of the original from April 11, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bmfsfj.de  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bmfsfj.de @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bmfsfj.de
  42. ↑ a b Compatibility of work and family. Germany in a European comparison. (PDF; 320 kB) fast4ward , 2004, accessed on August 15, 2009 . Pp. 32-37
  43. ↑ Cf. http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/Eurydice/EuryPage?country=UN&lang=EN&fragment=102  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically defective marked. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / eacea.ec.europa.eu  
  44. ↑ See Bahle, Thomas: Public Child Care in Europe: Historical Trajectories and New Directions, in: Scheiwe, Kirsten & Willekens, Harry (eds.): Child care and preschool development in Europe. Page 29/30
  45. ↑ See Penn, Helen: Public and Private: the History of Early Education and Care Institutions in the United Kingdom, in: Scheiwe, Kirsten & Willekens, Harry (eds.): Child care and preschool development in Europe. Page 105
  46. ^ Evers, Adalbert / Lewis, Jane / Riedel, Birgit: Developing child-care provision in England and Germany: problems of governance, in: European Journal of Social Policy, Volume 15/2005, Issue 15, pages 195-209.
  47. ↑ See Penn, Helen: Public and Private: the History of Early Education and Care Institutions in the United Kingdom, in: Scheiwe, Kirsten & Willekens, Harry (eds.): Child care and preschool development in Europe. Page 106
  48. ↑ See http://www.kindergartenpaedagogik.de/1551.html
  49. ↑ http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/ressources/eurydice/eurybase/pdf/section/UN_EN_C3_8_1.pdf  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / eacea.ec.europa.eu  
  50. ↑ See http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=2194
  51. ↑ BMBF (Ed.) (2003): England, in: In-depth comparison of the school systems of selected PISA participating countries, page 48.
  52. ↑ http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/ressources/eurydice/eurybase/pdf/section/UN_EN_C3.pdf  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / eacea.ec.europa.eu  
  53. ↑ See http://www.qca.org.uk/default.aspx
  54. ↑ http://www.kindergartenpaedagogik.de/1551.html
  55. ↑ See QCA: Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage, pp. 26–116
  56. ↑ Cf. http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/ressources/eurydice/eurybase/pdf/section/UN_EN_C3.pdf  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / eacea.ec.europa.eu  
  57. ↑ See Scheiwe / Willekens (eds.): Child Care and Preschool Development in Europe - Institutional Perspectives. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. page 15
  58. ↑ See Borchorst, Anette: Danish Child-Care Policies within Path - Timing, Sequence, Actors and Opportunity. In: Scheiwe / Willekens (Ed.): Child Care and Preschool Development in Europe - Institutional Perspectives. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. Pages 127-128
  59. ↑ See Scheiwe / Schuler-Harms (eds.): Current legal issues in family policy from a comparative perspective. Baden-Baden: Nomos, 2008. page 136
  60. ↑ See Scheiwe / Schuler-Harms 2008, pp. 100–148
  61. ↑ See Scheiwe / Schuler-Harms 2008, pp. 79–150
  62. ↑ See Scheiwe / Schuler-Harms 2008, page 150
  63. ↑ See Scheiwe / Schuler-Harms, page 135
  64. ↑ See Scheiwe / Schuler-Harms 2008, page 100
  65. ↑ See Scheiwe / Schuler-Harms 2008, pp. 100–135
  66. ↑ See Scheiwe / Schuler-Harms 2008, pp. 135–136
  67. ↑ See Scheiwe / Schuler-Harms 2008, pp. 100–122
  68. ↑ See http://www.kindergartenpaedagogik.de/1406.html
  69. ↑ See Scheiwe / Schuler-Harms 2008, pp. 137–138
  70. ↑ Scheiwe / Schuler-Harms 2008, page 15
  71. ↑ See Scheiwe / Schuler-Harms, page 138