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Support Systems in Early Childhood and How to Evaluate Their Impact
Author(s) -
Böttcher Wolfgang,
Ziegler Holger
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
child development perspectives
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1750-8606
pISSN - 1750-8592
DOI - 10.1111/j.1750-8606.2008.00047.x
Subject(s) - psychology , psychological intervention , developmental psychology , early childhood education , early childhood , political science , psychiatry
—The debate over education and family policy has recently taken a surprising turn that runs counter to West Germany’s traditional approach in these areas. In the past, little or no attention was given to institutional interventions targeted at young children. Now the age group from birth to 6 years has become a focus of attention for policy makers and academics. This article reflects on the current debate in Germany concerning the development and well‐being of young children. It focuses on a national program aimed at at‐risk children up to age 3 and their families and describes some of the program’s basic ideas and discuss challenges involved in the evaluation of the program’s effectiveness.