The idea of education as a tool for the appraisal of individual talent and diligence, which enables individuals to overcome their social background, has been problematized in relevant research for a long time. It is argued that educational institutions often support the reproduction of social inequalities. Though, analysis in this regard concentrates mostly on primary schools, recent findings suggest that important processes contributing to the reproduction of social inequalities take place already at the stage of pre-school education and care. This project takes up these existing findings and combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to put forward a detailed description of the stratification factors and mechanisms in the field of pre-school education. These are the result of the interaction of the respective social policies, the practices of pre-school institutions as well as parental strategies. In the Czech context this is an especially burning question: the considerably lack of public pre-school care facilities is being compensated by the establishment of private facilities, which leads to the diversification of educational possibilities. This diversification concerns the access to care, the educational content as well as the provided activities. By the analysis of stratification mechanisms, the purpose of the project is to add to the identification of the key factors, which contribute to the formation of educational chances, as well as habitus and differences. Hence, the project contributes to the discussions about the formation of inclusive education, and sees its success in the very beginning of educational tracks.

Publications