The extension of child-care services has been on the political agenda for a considerable period, and current studies ((see the DJI Child-Care Study 2006[2]) still indicate tensions between the high demand from parents and the lack of provision of child care. As a result of developments on the labour market – for example, with increased requirements for mobility and flexibility among employees – the demand for services that are more flexible with regard to time and organizational arrangements represents a central topic in the current debate over day-care centres for children.

A characteristic aspect in Germany is the existence of wide regional differences in the time periods during which day-care services are offered. What counts as a regular service in one state or district may go well beyond what parents are able to expect in terms of support from the public services in another location. This is basically due to the subsidiary structure of duties and responsibilities in the German child-care system, which allows various bodies – private, public, or publicly supported – to be responsible for running the facilities. This leads to substantial regional differences in parents’ chances of receiving support in their efforts to combine employment with bringing up children – resulting in differences in living conditions for parents.
To take account of the problems for families associated with this, a series of models have in the meantime developed in which in various federal states, with various legal frameworks and using varying levels of resources, have expanded services and made them more flexible – for example, allowing child care to be offered in the evenings, at the weekend, and even in exceptional cases on an hourly basis.
The project is focusing on research and initial analysis of this type of model, which offers educational and care facilities that go beyond the standard service for children up to the age of six. The aim of the project is to identify organizational methods and options for action for those involved in the field of child care and to make these transparent by presenting and analysing the models.