A research project by Prof. Dr. Nina Hogrebe in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Johanna Mierendorff (MLU Halle-Wittenberg).

Initial research findings suggest that parent initiatives have significantly lower proportions of socially and ethnically disadvantaged children compared to daycare centers run by other private non-profit and public providers (Hogrebe et al., forthcoming; Hogrebe 2016). While parent-run facilities do address the issue of inclusion, specific characteristics of the organizational form (e.g., greater need for parental involvement, association of like-minded individuals) seem to play a larger role and potentially be relevant to segregation (Baader et al. 2021). However, the research on the segregation-relevant role of parent initiatives and possible causes is still rudimentary. The few existing studies are either focused on a specific local area/region or based on relatively small sample sizes. Against this background, the question arises as to whether and, if so, why parent initiatives consistently act differently than other providers and what consequences this 'otherness' has, on the one hand, for the landscape of childcare and, on the other hand, for the(re-)production of social inequality. As recent research findings also point to the significance of local contexts (Menzel & Scholz 2022; Hogrebe, Pomykaj & Schulder 2021; Hogrebe et al., forthcoming), the study aims to investigate whether parent initiatives are differently positioned in various local/regional spaces and what consequences the respective conditions have for the composition and self-conception of this form of daycare.

As part of a preliminary study funded by the HAW Hamburg (until September 2023), TU Dortmund (from October 2023), and the MLU Halle-Wittenberg, a quantitative-qualitative research project is being developed, focusing on processes of inclusion and exclusion in parent-run daycare centers from an inequality perspective and examining their significance for the (re-) production of social inequality. Initially, the study will approach the field through the analysis of legal, political, administrative, and societal contexts of parent initiatives (documents such as founding guidelines, websites, statements, operating permits, state childcare laws, etc.) to understand the organizational conditions of these facilities. In addition, interviews will be conducted with representatives of the Federal Association of Parent Initiatives (BAGE e.V.) and selected regional umbrella organizations to explore the organizational structure of parent initiatives and their understandings of social inequality. This includes the historical development and current structures of parent initiatives as well as the role played by the BAGE and regional umbrella organizations. The selection of study regions will be based on the following criteria: the significance of parent initiatives in the landscape of childcare facilities, the historical background of their establishment and development, and spatial population density relevant to segregation.

The aim of this preliminary study is to provide a comprehensive contextual analysis of parent initiatives in Germany and an empirically supported overview of the current landscape of facilities. This will serve as a basis for pursuing the research interests outlined above in a third-party funded collaborative project.

Used Literature

Baader, M. S., Riechers, K., Lüpke, S. & Ernst, M. (2021). Inklusion aus Sicht niedersächsischer Elterninitiativen [Inclusion from the Perspective of Lower Saxony Parent Initiatives]. Universitätsverlag Hildesheim.

Menzel, B. & Scholz, A. (2022). Frühkindliche Bildung und soziale Ungleichheit. Die lokale Steuerung von Zugang im internationalen Vergleich [Early Childhood Education and Social Inequality. Local Governance of Access in International Comparison]. Beltz Juventa. 

Hogrebe, N. (2016). Segregation im Elementarbereich – Mobilität und Trägerschaft [Segregation in Early Childhood Education - Mobility and Type of Provider.]. Zeitschrift für Grundschulforschung, 9(1), 20–33.

Hogrebe, N., Mierendorff, J., Nebe, G. & Schulder, S. (im Druck). Kita-Träger – (k)eine segregationsrelevanten Einflussgröße? [Childcare Providers – (Not) a Relevant Factor in Segregation?] In B. Kalicki, K. Blatter, S. Michl & R. Schelle (eds.), Qualitätsentwicklung in der frühen Bildung. Akteure – Organisationen – Systeme (pp. 67–95). Beltz Juventa.

Hogrebe, N., Pomykaj, A. & Schulder, S. (2021). Segregation in early childhood education and care in Germany: Insights on regional distribution patterns using national educational studies. Diskurs Kindheits- und Jugendforschung, 16 (1), 36–56. Doi: doi.org/10.3224/diskurs.v16i1.04.

Project-related publications und presentations

Hogrebe, N. & Mierendorff, J. (2023, 30. August – 02. September). Parent-run day-care centres – a question of inequality. In M. Joos (Chair), Community-based approaches to combat educational inequality and segregation in ECEC. 31^th EECERA Conference 2023, Lisbon, Portugal.

Hogrebe N. & Mierendorff, J. (2024). Elterninitiativen im Kontext sozialer und ethnischer Ungleichheit. [Parent initiatives in the context of social and ethnic inequality.] Diskurs Kindheits- und Jugendforschung, 19(1), 131–137.