Prof.in Dr.in Nicole Klinkhammer

• Since December 2025: Program Director for the "Research-based Practice Development in Social Work" (M.A.) program—together with Prof. Dr. Daniel Niebauer
• Since July 2024: Associate Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences (AGN)
• 2022: Appointed to the Chair of Early Childhood and Family in the Social Work program at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Augsburg
• 2019–2022: Operational Director of the project “Development of Framework Conditions in Child Day Care (ERiK) – Indicator-Based Quality Monitoring” and, beginning in 2020, research associate for the Expert Group on Educational Settings and Social Welfare Services for Children, a permanent position responsible for addressing the fundamental and core tasks of the expert group as well as the Department of Children and Child Care at the German Youth Institute (Deutsches Jugendinstitut e.V.), Munich.
• 2012–2019: Research Associate at the International Center for Early Childhood Education, Care, and Upbringing (ICEC), Department of Children and Child Care at the German Youth Institute (Deutsches Jugendinstitut e.V.), Munich.
• 2006–2018: Freelance work for the European Commission’s Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, the City of Munich (City Youth Welfare Office/Social Affairs Department, Child Day Care Division), and the Hans Böckler Foundation.
• 2013: Awarded a Ph.D. (Dr. phil.) from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Faculty of Philosophy III, Institute of Education, Department of Social Pedagogy/Social Policy
• 2008–2012: Scholarship recipient in the Friedrich Ebert Foundation’s graduate support program
• 2006–2008: Research Associate in the project “Development and Financing of Flexible and Expanded Child Day Care Services in Selected German States; Scientific Monitoring of a Model Site,” Department of Children and Child Care at the German Youth Institute (Deutsches Jugendinstitut e.V.), Munich.
• 2005–2006: Assistant to the project director for the development of the “Guidelines for Child and Family Policy” as part of the PERSPEKTIVE MÜNCHEN urban development plan, City of Munich: Municipal Youth Welfare Office/Department of Social Affairs, Child Day Care Division.
• 2004–2022: Teaching assignments at the Catholic Foundation University of Applied Sciences in Munich, the Munich University of Applied Sciences, the University of Trier, and the Leopold-Franzens University of Innsbruck (Austria).
• 1999–2004: Master’s degree in Political Science, Education, and Sociology at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University of Bonn

• Introduction to Academic Writing
• Child and Family Policy
• Areas of Social Work with a Focus on Child Protection, Parenting Support, Family Education and Counseling, and Educational and Childcare Services
• International Social Work
• Participation and Empowerment (especially of children)
• Sociology of Childhood
• Applied Social Research
• Specialization in “Social Work with Vulnerable Children and Families” (current focus: the “system-breaker” phenomenon)
• Bachelor’s Seminar

• October 2023–March 2026: Research support for the “Lechhausen Education Center” - Structural development, as well as action strategies and objectives for the involved partners (in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Barbara Rink), commissioned by the Department of Education and Migration of the City of Augsburg
• April 2024–May 2025: Participation as a consortium partner in the OPEN vhb course “Participation Assistance in Daycare Centers and Schools” in cooperation with the Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences, Mühldorf am Inn Campus, Prof. Dr. Edeltraud Botzum
• 01/2023–12/2024: HSA_sustaIN: Project for the internationalization of the Social Work degree program (focus: partner setup), DAAD funding program (HAW. International) (in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Barbara Rink and Moritz Muth, International Office)
• May 2024–October 2024: Expert support for the “Familienstadt Augsburg” project on behalf of the Social Affairs Department of the City of Augsburg

 Research Interests

• Early childhood education, care, and upbringing
• Life circumstances of children and families
• Participation in the Context of Diversity
• Governance of education and childcare systems
• Monitoring non-formal education in childhood
• An International Comparative Perspective on Support and Educational Systems and Policies for Children and Families
• Discourse research

• May 4, 2026: Keynote: How can collaborations within the social environment—e.g., at family centers or through social work in daycare centers—improve outreach to and engagement of parents and promote children’s participation in early childhood education? In collaboration with Prof. Dr. Barbara Lochner. Social Environment Working Forum. German Daycare Symposium 2026: Equitable Access to Early Education, Care, and Upbringing, Berlin.
• April 21, 2026: Social Work in Daycare Centers in Germany. Insights into a Diverse Field of Action. KTK Federal Conference on Child, Youth, and Family Services—Sub-conference on Child Welfare, Freiburg.
• March 26, 2026: Focus on Stakeholders & Parents. Presentation of Results—Scientific Support for the Lechhausen Education Center. Online closing event organized by the Department of Education and Migration.
• September 25, 2025: Social Work in Daycare Centers in Germany. Insights into a Diverse Field of Practice. Keynote address at the 2nd National Conference on Social Work in Daycare Centers—Developments, Perspectives, Conditions—at the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt. Conference report: https://nifbe.de/kita-sozialarbeit-als-entlastung-und-unterstuetzung/ & https://www.bag-bek.de/aktuelles/detail/kita-sozialarbeit-als-entlastung-und-unterstuetzung/
• March 19, 2025: Child Protection in Germany. Introduction to an Interdisciplinary System. Workshop presentation as part of the “20th International Week: Embracing Superdiversity: Building Bridges in Higher Education” at Thomas More University in Geel (Belgium)
• October 30, 2024: “Falling Through the System’s Cracks Again and Again.” Social Work with High-Risk Children. Guest lecture at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Social Work Unit, University of Lapland, Finland.
• October 10, 2024: Family-Friendly Urban Development in Augsburg. Requirements and Needs from the Perspectives of Families and Service Providers. Results from the Workshops. Presentation as part of the closing event for the “Familienstadt Augsburg” project, City of Augsburg.
• June 13, 2024: The German Child and Youth Welfare System and Current Challenges with Children at Risk, presentation as part of the workshop “Social Work with ‘Challenging’ and Vulnerable Children and Families: Approaches and Experiences from Germany and the United States” at THA
• June 4, 2024: Collaborative Social Work in the German Child Protection System, presentation as part of the BIP “Collaborative Social Work” at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)
• May 15, 2024: Municipal Family Policy as a Policy for the Future? Family-Friendliness as a Cornerstone of Sustainable Urban Development, presentation as part of the kickoff event for the “Familienstadt Augsburg” project
• March 20, 2024: (Un)Equal Access to Early Childhood Education and Care in Germany. What role can or should social work and AI play? Workshop presentation as part of “International Week: Democracy or Democrazy: Navigating the Impact of AI on Society” at Thomas More University in Geel (Belgium)
• November 2, 2023: Challenging Children & Youth—Challenging Families?! Starting Points for a Resource-Oriented and Participatory Collaboration with Parents and Families, presentation as part of the workshop of the same name at the professional event “Breaking Down Systems Together: A Conference on the Phenomenon of ‘System-Breakers’,” organized by the Office for Children, Youth, and Family (AKJF) within the Social Affairs Department of the City of Augsburg
• November 2021: The Competent Child Day Care System: A Multi-perspective, Multi-level Model. Forum “Through the Eyes of a Child? Children’s Perspectives as Part of Multi-perspective Quality Monitoring,” DJI Annual Conference, online event
• September 2021: Daycare Quality Revisited: Selected Structural Conditions Before and During the Pandemic. Together with Prof. Dr. Florian Spensberger and Mariana Grgic, BAG-BEK Online Fall Conference “Daycare in Crisis—What Must Change Now!”
• September 2021: Quality Control in the German System of Early Childhood Education. Opportunities and Limitations of the Monitoring Approach for the KiQuTG within the Framework of the ERiK Project. Presentation at the networking meeting for the BMBF funding guideline “Quality Development for Good Education in Early Childhood.” Online event.
• August 2018: Monitoring Access – The Role of Monitoring Systems in Steering (Un)Equal Access. Comparing Germany and Sweden. Presentation at the “28th EECERA Annual Conference: Early Childhood Education, Families, and Communities.” Symposium: “(Un)Equal Access to Quality ECEC: The Role of Governance, Regulations, and Context.” European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA). Budapest (Hungary)
• March 2018: The role of evaluation and monitoring in ECEC quality assurance. Conceptual overview and possible indicators. Presentation at the Eurydice National Unit Members’ working meeting “Working Meeting on Key Data on Early Childhood Education and Care Report.” Education, Audiovisual, and Culture Executive Agency. Brussels (Belgium)
• Oct. 2017: Competent Quality Monitoring Systems? A Comparison of Selected Approaches from Different Countries. Presentation at the ISSA Conference “Local Responses, Global Advances: Towards Competent Early Childhood Education Systems.” Session: “Towards competent early childhood governance and policies.” International Step by Step Association (ISSA). Culture and Convention Center Het Pand, Ghent (Belgium)

Memberships

• Since April 2024: Member of the German Association for Social Work (DGSA)
• Since September 2023: Vice Chair of BAG BEK e.V.
• Since August 2023: Member of the Association of University Teachers (hlb), Bavarian Regional Chapter
• Since October 2021: Elected board member of the Federal Working Group on Early Childhood Education and Care (BAG BEK)
• Since January 2019: Member of the Federal Working Group for Education and Upbringing in Early Childhood e.V. (BAG BEK), Working Group on Social Work in Daycare Centers
• Since June 2018: Member of the German Society for Educational Science (DGfE)
  • Section on Social Pedagogy and Early Childhood Education
  • Section on Intercultural and International Comparative Educational Science
• 2012–2014: Member of the Thematic Working Group on Early Childhood Education and Care of the European Commission, DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, within the context of the Education and Training 2020 (ET2020) work program
• Since 2006: Member of the “Sociology of Childhood” Section of the German Sociological Association
• Oct. 2023–June 2025: Member of the 24th Representative Assembly of the Augsburg Student Services Organization (representing the THA)

  Support for Early-Career Researchers

• Since 11/2025: Mentor in the “ment” mentoring program—mentoring for female students and researchers at Bielefeld University
• July 2024–June 2025: Mentor in the “TANDEM” mentoring program for female graduates and doctoral candidates at the Neubrandenburg–Tollense University of Applied Sciences

 Reviewer Activities

• Since 2022: Reviewer for the journals “Diskurs Kindheits- und Jugendforschung,” “Frühe Bildung. Interdisziplinäre Zeitschrift für Forschung, Ausbildung und Praxis,” the “International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy,” and the journal “Soziale Arbeit”

(Selection; see below for the complete list of publications available for download)

Book and journal articles, reviews

Klinkhammer, Nicole (forthcoming). Social Work in Child Care Centers as a Support Resource in Health Promotion for Children and Families. In: Susanne Borkowski, Katrin Lattner & Petra Strehmel (Eds.), The Health-Promoting Daycare Center: Scientific Foundations and Practical Insights. Kohlhammer.

Goebel, Simon & Klinkhammer, Nicole (2026a). Classism in Early Childhood Education Access and in Daycare Routine. Theoretical Foundations and Approaches Critical of Classism. In: Edeltraud Botzum & Yvonne Bergern (Eds.), Care for Very Young Children: Quality from the Start in Nurseries, Kindergartens, and Daycare Centers. Issue 53. Poverty Sensitivity, Anti-Classist Perspectives, and Social Justice in Daycare Centers, pp. 1–8.

Goebel, Simon & Klinkhammer, Nicole (2026b). Classism in Early Childhood Education Access and Daily Life in Childcare Centers. Theoretical Foundations and Approaches Critical of Classism. KiTa aktuell spezial, 2, pp. 4–7.

Klinkhammer, Nicole (2026). Review of “Social Work in Daycare Centers: Foundations, Contours, and Perspectives.” Early Education. Vol. 15, Issue 2, April 10, pp. 108–110, https://doi.org/10.1026/2191-9186/a000766 

Klinkhammer, Nicole (2025). Review of: Peter Hammerschmidt, Regine Schelle, Gerd Stecklina (Eds.). Early Childhood Education in Motion. Beltz Juventa. Series: Current Topics and Fundamental Issues in Social Work. socialnet Reviews, https://www.socialnet.de/rezensionen/33469.php, accessed July 4, 2025.

Klinkhammer, Nicole & Schacht, Diana D. (2023). Summary—ERiK Research Report III. In: Meiner-Teubner, Christiane; Schacht, Diana; Klinkhammer, Nicole; Kuger, Susanne; Kalicki, Bernhard & Fackler, Sina (eds.). ERiK Research Report III. Findings from the indicator-based monitoring of the KiQuTG. wbv Verlag, pp. 11–20.

Klinkhammer, Nicole; Schacht, Diana; Kalicki, Bernhard; Kuger, Susanne; Meiner-Teubner, Christiane; Fackler, Sina (2023). Introduction: Monitoring of the KiQuTG 2021, Including In-Depth Analyses. In: Meiner-Teubner, Christiane; Schacht, Diana; Klinkhammer, Nicole; Kuger, Susanne; Kalicki, Bernhard & Fackler, Sina (Eds.). ERiK Research Report III. Findings of the Indicator-Based Monitoring of the KiQuTG. wbv Verlag, pp. 21–34.

Klinkhammer, Nicole; Preuß, Melina; Riedel, Birgit & Ulrich, Lisa (2022). Generating Knowledge Relevant to Policy-Making: Opportunities, Possibilities, and Limitations of Policy and Practice Transfer in KiQuTG Monitoring. In: Weltzien, Dörte; Wadepohl, Heike; Cloos, Peter; Friederich, Tina; Schelle, Regine (eds.). Research in Early Childhood Education, Vol. 15, Special Issue: Transfer in Early Childhood Education. FEL-Verlag, pp. 85–122.

Wieschke, Johannes; Schacht, Diana; Spensberger, Florian; Klinkhammer, Nicole & Grgic, Mariana (2022). Establishing multi-perspective instruments in early education during COVID-19. Measuring subjective levels of information regarding pandemic-related regulations and hygiene and protective measures. Measurement Instruments for Social Sciences 4, 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42409-022-00033-2

Klinkhammer, Nicole (2022). “Getting All Children on the Education Train as Early as Possible”: On the Enforcement of the “Educational Childhood” Dispositive in Political Discourse. In: Höhne, Thomas & Mierendorff, Johanna (Eds.). Early Childhood Education in Transition: Processes of Economization? Series: New Political Economy of Education. Beltz Juventa, pp. 20–44.

Klinkhammer, Nicole & Scholz, Antonia (2021). The German Early Childhood Education and Care System in Motion: Structures, Norms, and Constitutive Elements. In: Bloch, Bianca; Kuhn, Melanie; Schulz, Marc; Smidt, Wilfried & Stenger, Ursula (eds.). Early Childhood Education in Germany – Issues in History, Theory, and Research. Routledge, pp. 135–153.

Klinkhammer, Nicole & Ziesmann, Tim (2020). Monitoring the “Good Daycare Act.” Indicator-Based Monitoring of Quality Parameters in the German Federal System of Early Childhood Education, Care, and Upbringing (FBBE). Early Education, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 156–158.

Klinkhammer, Nicole; Berth, Felix (2019). The education promise and its disillusion. Access barriers in early childhood institutions. In: On Education. Journal for Research and Debate. Vol. 2, No. 6, p. 5/5 [online at: https://www.oneducation.net/no-06_december-2019/the-education-promise-and-its-disillusion-access-barriers-in-early-childhood-institutions/]

Klinkhammer, Nicole (2019). Early Education and Participation from an International Perspective. In: Corell, Lena & Lepperhoff, Julia (eds.). Participation through Early Education. Strategies in Family Education and Child Care Centers. Beltz Juventa, pp. 21–34.

Klinkhammer, Nicole (2019). Improving Daycare Quality: Political Initiatives and Reforms Under Scrutiny. KiTa aktuell Recht, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 59–61.

Klinkhammer, Nicole & Riedel, Birgit (2018). An Incomplete Revolution? Changes and Challenges within German Early Childhood Education and Care Policy. In: Miller, Linda; Cameron, Claire; Dalli, Carmen & Barbour, Nancy (eds.). The SAGE Handbook of Early Childhood Policy. Sage Publications, pp. 49–70.

Editors

Meiner-Teubner, Christiane; Schacht, Diana D.; Klinkhammer, Nicole; Kuger, Susanne; Kalicki, Bernhard & Fackler, Sina (eds.) (2023). ERiK Research Report III. Findings from the indicator-based monitoring of the KiQuTG. wbv Verlag. DOI: 10.3278/6004862w

Klinkhammer, Nicole; Schacht, Diana D.; Kuger, Susanne; Meiner-Teubner, Christiane; Kalicki, Bernhard & Riedel, Birgit (Eds.) (2022). ERiK Research Report II. Findings from the Indicator-Based Monitoring of the KiQuTG. wbv Verlag. DOI: 10.3278/9783763974597-01

Klinkhammer, Nicole; Kalicki, Bernhard; Kuger, Susanne; Meiner-Teubner, Christiane; Riedel, Birgit; Schacht, Diana D. & Rauschenbach, Thomas (Eds.) (2021). ERiK Research Report I. Design and Findings of the Indicator-Based Monitoring of the KiQuTG. wbv Verlag. https://doi.org/10.3278/6004862w

Klinkhammer, Nicole; Schäfer, Britta; Harring, Dana & Gwinner, Anne (Eds.) (2017). Quality Monitoring in Early Childhood Education and Care: Approaches and Experiences from Selected Countries. Vol. 13 DJI Expert Forum on Education and Upbringing. DJI Verlag.

Online Publications

Klinkhammer, Nicole & Erhard, Katharina (2018). Policy Initiatives and Reforms. More and Better Early Childhood Education, Care, and Upbringing Programs in Germany and Europe. In: Early Education Dossier of the Federal Agency for Civic Education. [Online at: https://www.bpb.de/themen/bildung/dossier-bildung/278901/politische-initiativen-und-reformen/], accessed January 11, 2023.

Klinkhammer, Nicole & Erhard, Katharina (2018). More Children in Daycare Centers and Family Daycare. On Current Participation in Early Education and Care. In: Dossier on Early Education by the Federal Agency for Civic Education. [Available online at https://www.bpb.de/themen/bildung/dossier-bildung/278919/mehr-kinder-in-kitas-und-kindertagespflege/], accessed January 11, 2023.

Klinkhammer, Nicole & Erhard, Katharina (2018). A Look at the Quality of Early Childhood Education and Care. In: Early Education Dossier of the Federal Agency for Civic Education. [Available online at: https://www.bpb.de/themen/bildung/dossier-bildung/278950/ein-blick-auf-die-qualitaet-der-fruehkindlichen-bildung-und-erziehung/], Accessed January 11, 2023.

Klinkhammer, Nicole & Erhard, Katharina (2018). Equal Opportunities for Participation for All? Current Findings on Barriers to Access in Early Childhood Education and Care Systems. In: Dossier on Early Education by the Federal Agency for Civic Education. [Available online at: www.bpb.de/themen/bildung/dossier-bildung/278953/gleiche-teilhabemoeglichkeiten-fuer-alle/], accessed January 11, 2023.

Klinkhammer, Nicole (2007). Enabling Flexibility, Ensuring Quality: Challenges for Changes in the Scheduling Structure of Childcare Facilities. In: Altgeld, Karin; Klaudy, Elke Katharina; Stöbe-Blossey, Sybille (Eds.). Flexible Child Care – Online Handbook. [Available at: www.yumpu.com/de/document/view/21820870/flexibilitat-ermoglichen-qualitat-sichern-herausforderungen-fur-die-], accessed January 11, 2023.

NKlinkhammer-Publications-2024.pdf (667.4 KB)

Complete List of Publications

Nicole Klinkhammer on OPUS