Self-positioning of Parents within Practices of 'Collaboration' in Day Care Facilities

Against the background of increasing (political) expectations to parents to commit themselves to the early education of their children, the article examines (mis-) matches between families and day care facilities. The emphasis is on the self-positionings of socially heterogeneous parents with regard to different forms of,cooperation' in day care facilities, which are analysed from the perspective of Pierre Bourdieu's theory of power and inequality. The content analysis of 19 qualitative interviews with parents conducted within the study "Children between opportunities and barriers" (Goethe University and Bertelsmann Stiftung) reveals self-confident, striving and distanced positionings. These positionings are characterised through specific relationships to the day care facility and the professionals and corresponds to the different life realities of the parents.