Page 5 - IDEA Studie 6 2018 Predskolni pece v Nemecku
P. 5
Study 6 / 2018 Who does preschool (not) help? Experience from a series of reforms to early and preschool care in Germany JULY 2018 FILIP PERTOLD, LUCIE ZAPLETALOVÁ Summary This study summarizes the conclusions of academic papers on the effect of expanding institutionalized preschool childcare in Germany on children's development. The effect of preschool childcare is currently heavily debated in the Czech Republic in connection with the planned introduction of a law requiring local authorities to provide places in preschool institutions for children aged two and above. The causal effect of various extents of attendance at preschool institutions can be studied thanks to substantial reforms to preschool childcare that have taken place over the past 20 years in Germany. Thanks to state support, the proportion of children aged 3–6 years attending preschool education has risen to more than 95%, with 44.8% attending for whole days. After children aged 1 and over were given the chance to attend preschool the proportion of children aged below three attending childcare institutions rose to 23%. Studies have looked at the effects of increased preschool attendance on various aspects of readiness for school in the last year before primary school. The authors of studies on children aged 3–6 years had data available on more than 100,000 children. Those who studied the effect of institutions for under 3 had access to data about 36,000 children. Institutional preschool childcare has a positive effect on readiness for school that can bring children from disadvantaged family backgrounds in line with their peers. An increase in attendance at preschool from half-days to full days has a positive effect on readiness for school and language skills among immigrant families, but has a negative effect on the socio-emotional maturity of children from immigrant or socio- economically disadvantaged families. 3
