Early childhood education has been the subject of public debate for a number of years and the institution of daycare has grown enormously in importance in recent decades . 92% of children from the age of 3 are accompanied in daycare facilities until they start school and the number of children under the age of three has also risen sharply. In recent years, a process of recognizing daycare facilities as educational institutions has begun: What happens in kindergarten lays the foundation for the rest of the educational biography and should also provide educational opportunities for children from socially disadvantaged families. The process is still under development and the frequently manifested image that daycare facilities are merely for the supervision of children, where they are entertained with a "shallow educational program", persists.
Recognizing the valuable work of educational professionals and their work as educational facilitators is therefore a major concern for us in the "Early Childhood Education" programme area. In terms of content, we are guided by the Scandinavian and Baltic countries, which recognized early on that the work in childcare facilities and elementary school cannot be separated and that successful transitions can only be achieved through close integration. For this reason, we consider both daycare facilities and elementary school in the "Early Childhood Education" program area and strive for close cooperation for successful transitions.
Whether in daycare centers or elementary school, one thing is certain: We urgently need to expand early education services in order to provide education for all children. However, there are many problems behind this: there is a shortage of thousands of qualified specialists. Although there is a legal entitlement to childcare, parents in many places are desperately looking for a childcare place. Inequality prevails with regard to educational quality. Despite all political efforts, it is only mediocre in many facilities. Children's rights and participatory processes are not respected in many facilities.
Our funding in the "Early childhood education" program area focuses on quality and participation. Our greatest interest lies in the professionalization of specialists in early childhood education for the benefit and development opportunities of children.
This is achieved very well with the Forscher Füchse support program. The teams at the daycare centers and elementary school are developing together, gaining a new quality in their work: increasingly in the STEM field, but also in the participatory support of the children. The STEM field offers immense development potential for both the teams and the children in the institutions. The intrinsic curiosity of children can often not be met adequately and in a participatory manner due to reservations about STEM and a lack of qualifications among staff.
In this context, STEM means for us that our world is undergoing major changes that will have a huge impact on the lives of our children in the future. One of the key tasks of our society is therefore to train all the skills that enable children to deal with the unknown and proactively reorient themselves. We must all take responsibility and work together to shape a future worth living.
(Program Manager) on parental leave
(Junior Program Manager)
(Junior Program Manager)
