The German ECEC system in comparative perspective: insights and policy lessons

This paper examines the German early childhood education and care (ECEC) from a comparative perspective. Looking at the past 20 years, it suggests that two distinctive factors underpinned the expansion:  first, the relative uniformity of organisational forms and occupational categories – with ECEC offered most commonly by educators (Erzieher:in) in centre-based provision. Second, the prevalence of part-time employment among mothers. These same two factors risk however to hinder further expansion, ultimately hampering gender equality. Another challenge, common to other countries, relates to stark regional variations in population composition and dynamics, labour market opportunities, and families’ needs and preferences. Policies to ensure ECEC availability, affordability and quality for all need to be based on more granular knowledge at very local level. Examples from other countries illustrate how local administrations can develop the capacity to design and implement effective local policy solutions.  

Speaker:
Ludovica Gambaro holds an international academic background in Economics, Public Administration, and Social Policy, with research focusing on social and family policy, education, and labor market inequalities. After research positions in London, Berlin, New York, and Tübingen, she has been a Research Fellow at the Federal Institute for Population Research in Wiesbaden from 2022 till early 2026 and will soon start working at DJI.