In Germany, the vast majority of children between three and six years of age, plus an increasing number of younger children, are enrolled in daycare centers, making these early childhood institutions an important place of learning. They are places where equal opportunities are created. The further education initiative, Early Childhood Professionals, aims to strengthen the role of elementary pedagogy as the foundation of the education system. This requires an improvement in the quality of pedagogical work as well as a flexible system. Key to success in this context is to professionalize the training of education professionals and the daycare system. WiFF supports these goals in different ways: By providing scientifically sound expertise on current topics in early childhood pedagogy, it puts relevant topics on the agenda. The initiative also promotes the skills-based continuing education of professionals and provides training material derived from scientific findings. Based on empirical research, WiFF monitors and analyzes the professionalization of the field. Last but not least, it builds a network of stakeholders, including researchers, policy-makers, and education and continuing education experts to foster the debate about quality and professionalization of early childhood education. Founded in 2009, WiFF is an initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Robert Bosch Stiftung, and the DJI German Youth Institute.
Felix Krammer