Corona-KiTa study - effects of the corona pandemic on childcare centers
Start date
June 2020
End date
December 2022
Participants
Childcare centers in Germany
Main goal
Identify chains of infection and learn how people can protect themselves
Summary
The pandemic, with its initially uncertain course, was a stress test for society and led to discussions about the core values of living together and interacting with one another, as well as the importance of public health. Health and psychosocial consequences as well as the principles of our social living such as responsibility, solidarity, and inequality were confronted. During the first two and a half years of the pandemic, the Corona-KiTa study followed children, families and KiTas (day care centers) throughout Germany. Its purpose was to observe the role day care children and the day care centers in Germany play in the pandemic and the consequences of the pandemic for children, families and KiTas. The diverse findings of the Corona-KiTa study are trendsetting for in-depth considerations and acting at the interface of education and care as well as health protection.
Person responsible for the project: Dr. Franz Neuberger (fneuberger@dji.de)
What do we want to achieve?
1
Find out what happened in childcare centers in Germany during the corona pandemic and what challenges were faced.
2
Monitor how the situation in the daycare centers is changing.
3
Understanding the spread mechanisms and effects of the corona pandemic in day care centers.
Results
Risk
The coronavirus also spread in day care centers, but children between 0 and 5 had a low risk of infection.
Protection
Protective measures and vaccination of staff in day care centers led to control and protection.
Burden
Quarantine, testing, short-term changes to the childcare guarantee and fears of infection burdened the familiies and staff.
Psychosocial problems
Only a small proportion of families reported noticeable behavioral or psychosocial problems.
Summary
The pandemic, with its initially uncertain course, was a stress test for society and led to discussions about the core values of living together and interacting with one another, as well as the importance of public health. Health and psychosocial consequences as well as the principles of our social living such as responsibility, solidarity, and inequality were confronted. During the first two and a half years of the pandemic, the Corona-KiTa study followed children, families and KiTas (day care centers) throughout Germany. Its purpose was to observe the role day care children and the day care centers in Germany play in the pandemic and the consequences of the pandemic for children, families and KiTas. The diverse findings of the Corona-KiTa study are trendsetting for in-depth considerations and acting at the interface of education and care as well as health protection.
Person responsible for the project: Dr. Franz Neuberger
Keywords
#corona #day care #pandemic
Further information
Feedback Tool
Would you like to give feedback on the Corona-KiTa study? Are you perhaps affected yourself or a relative and would like to provide information about the study? Please contact us using our contact form. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
Our partners
Deutsches Jugend Institute (DJI) – Germany
Robert Koch-Institute (RKI) – Germany