Interprofessional cooperation between childcare and education in four European cities

This international, comparative, multiple-case study investigates the interprofessional cooperation between primary education and out of school hours care at four sites in four European cities (Aarhus, Denmark; Berlin, Germany; The Hague, Netherlands; and Stockholm, Sweden). Social network analysis is used to map the one-to-one relationships between the professionals involved in the education and childcare organisations. The density of the four networks and the mutuality of the professional contacts reveal striking differences. Significant differences were also found with regard to the satisfaction of those concerned with regard to the current forms of cooperation. The four sites addressed in the study vary considerably and cover practically the entire continuum from strictly separated sectors to fully integrated cooperation, as distinguished in the theoretical model developed by Boon and colleagues (2004). The results are discussed with reference to effective cooperation between childcare and education.