Early Childhood Education and Care

Broadly speaking, early childhood education covers issues relating to upbringing, care, and education from birth to the end of primary school (Paetzold, 2001). More specifically, and in line with international standards, the focus is on institutional work with children up to school age. As a sub-discipline of educational sciences, this field of study consequently addresses key aspects of early childhood (Meyer & Walter-Laager, 2012):

Quality assurance and development in early childhood education and care
Teaching, learning and educational processes in early years.
Professional development

The relevance of these areas of research is strongly reinforced by international findings (e.g., NICHD, 2003; Sylva et al., 2010): The early years of life lay the foundation for subsequent educational trajectories. In this regard, continuous quality assurance and development are indispensable, as positive long-term effects on cognitive and socio-emotional development are demonstrably linked to high-quality processes within settings (Bustamante et al., 2023). Teaching, learning and educational processes are at the heart of this and are understood in terms of co-construction: children actively shape their learning environment by generating meaning through interaction with their surroundings (Powell et al., 2025). For these complex processes to succeed, staff must be consistently professionalised. International comparative studies clearly demonstrate that the quality of interaction, and consequently children's educational success, correlates directly with staff's scientifically grounded training and reflective competence (Fukkink & Lont, 2007). By linking these fields, our department contributes to the evidence-based development of pedagogical practice and the promotion of educational equity from the outset.

Bustamante, A. S., Bermudez, V. N., Ochoa, K. D., Belgrave, A. B., & Vandell, D. L. (2023). Quality of early childcare and education predicts high school STEM achievement for students from low-income backgrounds. Developmental psychology, 59(8), 1440.

Fukkink, R. G., & Lont, A. (2007). Does training matter? A meta-analysis and review of caregiver training studies. Early childhood research quarterly, 22(3), 294-311.

NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (2003). Early child care and mother-child interaction from 36 months through first grade. Infant Behavior and Development, 26, S. 345-370

Powell, L., Spencer, S., Clegg, J., & Wood, M. (2024). A country that works for all children and young people: An evidence-based approach to supporting children in the preschool years.

Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2009). Conceptualising progression in the pedagogy of play and sustained shared thinking in early childhood education: A Vygotskian perspective. Educational and Child Psychology, 26(2), 77-89.