Early childhood care and education has become a key issue in social science as well as in politics. In many countries, different actors increasingly use early childhood programs to tackle a variety of societal challenges. The studies collected in this book contribute theoretical and empirical dimensions to a body of research that has neglected a number of questions to date. They analyze (1) the effects of early childhood care and education on the development of children from different social backgrounds, (2) sociocultural disparities in the use of childcare services, (3) the history of childcare in France and the United States of America since the creation of the first formal daycare facilities, and (4) the interplay of desire for linguistic proficiency, acquisition of language, and educational processes in early childhood (this study is published in German). By examining different phenomena using various methodologies, these studies add pedagogical, sociological, and historical perspectives to the scholarly discourse on early childhood care and education.     Contents ·        Equality of opportunity in view of social inequalities ·        New contributions to early childhood care and education research ·        Effects of early childhood care and education programs on intellectual development ·        History of childcare in France and in the United States ·        Desire, language, and education in early childhood ·        Multiple methodical approaches ·        Implications for practice and research     Target groups ·        Researchers and students in educational science, sociology, and history   Author Dr. Kaspar Burger is lecturer and researcher in education and developmental psychology at the University Institute Kurt Bösch in Sion, Switzerland.