Romy Schönfeld

Romy Schönfeld is an academic staff member at the Department of Social and Educational Sciences at Potsdam University of Applied Sciences. She holds a Master of Arts (M.A.) in political science and Romance studies from institutions in Jena and Rome, followed by a second M.A. in early childhood education research from Potsdam. Her research focuses on interaction competencies of professionals in early childhood education settings, particularly in institutionalized childcare environments. She is currently coordinating a DocDual research project on establishing consultation daycare centers with a focus on cognitively stimulating interactions in the Oder-Spree district of Brandenburg, Germany.

Education:

• M.A. in Political Science and Romance Studies (Jena and Rome)
• M.A. in Early Childhood Education Research (Potsdam)

Research Interests: Romy’s work examines how educational professionals’ interaction skills influence child development and learning. Her dissertation, supervised by Prof. Dr. Jan Lonnemann (University of Potsdam) and Prof. Dr. Frauke Hildebrandt (FH Potsdam), explores methodologies to enhance cognitive stimulation in childcare through structured interventions. The project employs a pre-post follow-up design with control groups to evaluate intervention sustainability and professional competency development.

Projects & Collaborations: As project coordinator for IFFE eV, Romy leads a transdisciplinary initiative to operationalize consultation daycare centers as hubs for practitioner networking and evidence-based practice. This initiative aims to improve childcare quality through bidirectional knowledge transfer between academia and practice partners. The project’s outcomes will inform policy and professional training frameworks.

Supervision & Partners:

• Academic Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Frauke Hildebrandt (FH Potsdam)
• Practice Partner: Institute for Advanced Training, Research & Development (IFFE eV)