Early Childhood Educators in Full-Day Education and Care – Studies on the Support of Children Aged 6–12 in Schools and After-School Care Centers

Project background

With the legal right to full-day education and care for elementary school-aged children taking effect in the 2026–27 school year, a rapidly growing and diverse field of practice is emerging, one with a high demand for skilled professionals. The KiBiScH research project (Early Childhood Educators in Full-Day Education and Care) examines the role and significance of early childhood educators in the field of full-day education for children of primary school age. The starting point is the question of what this comparatively young, academically qualified professional group can contribute to the educational support of children between the ages of 6 and 12 in schools and after-school care centers, and what specific competencies they bring to this field of practice.

Project objective

The goal of the KiBiScH project is to systematically clarify and scientifically describe the role of early childhood educators in the expanding field of full-day education and care for elementary-aged children. The starting point is the hitherto insufficiently researched connection between the policy requirements for all-day programs and the specific competencies, tasks, and role of early childhood educators. 

The project aims to

• to identify the programmatic expectations and task profiles for early childhood educators in all-day settings,

• to highlight practical perspectives through the explicit experiences of early childhood educators,

• to analyze the positioning of early childhood education as a discipline in this field of practice,

• and to derive implications for professionalization and training from this.

Overall, the project contributes to building a bridge between policy requirements, scholarly reflection, and educational practice. In this way, it aims to contribute to raising the profile of early childhood education as well as to the qualitative development of full-day educational programs for children aged 6 to 12. 

Project procedure

The project employs a multi-stage, qualitative research design that systematically integrates various perspectives on the field of all-day education:

1. Analysis of technical and policy foundations

The first step involves a comprehensive analysis of the literature and relevant documents. Key academic publications, expert reports, and position papers from relevant associations (e.g., AWO, BAG-BEK, AGJ) are examined. The goal is to identify the policy requirements and programmatic expectations for all-day education and care, as well as for the professionals working in this field. 

2. Qualitative Data Collection in Practice 

The results of this document analysis form the basis for developing key questions for the qualitative interviews with early childhood educators in after-school care. These questions are intended to provide insights into the specific tasks, challenges, and interpretations of the professionals. The collected data will be evaluated using qualitative content analysis. 

3. Consolidation of results

In the final step, the results from the document analysis and interviews will be consolidated. This yields a nuanced picture of the interplay between policy requirements, disciplinary perspectives, and professional practice for early childhood educators in all-day care.

Innovation

The KiBiScH project is innovative because it systematically examines a field of activity that has received little research attention to date yet is highly dynamic: the full-day education and care of elementary-school-aged children in the context of the new legal entitlement

In particular, the following aspects are new and groundbreaking:

• Focus on a previously underrepresented professional group:

Early childhood educators are specifically studied in a field of work where their role has neither been clearly defined nor empirically researched. 

• Linking different levels:

The project connects policy requirements, disciplinary developments, and concrete practical experiences of the professional group.