Empirical educational research states that early kindergarten attendance positively affects children’s development. This can never be analysed without considering the maternal employment. With regard to these choices the institutional context, attitudes and social background are important. Therefore the project aims to control for contextual and individual determinants simultaneously. Most of the contextual factors are determined by laws. While most of the legislation in this regard is federal, legislation with regard to kindergartens is a matter of the individual federal states. Therefore the influence of kindergarten legislation on the type of child care chosen and on the mother’s employment can be analysed under control of important family policy. The first goal of the project is to strengthen the theoretical model. The second goal examines whether free care results in better arrangement of family and employment.
