Sabrina Dahlheimer

Dr. Sabrina Dahlheimer serves as Research Group Leader at the Center for Quality Research and Monitoring in Child and Youth Welfare (ZQM) at the University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd. Her academic career spans over a decade in empirical social research, with continuous affiliation since 2016 and leadership responsibilities since 2020.

Her educational trajectory includes:

• Magistra Artium in Sociology with minors in Education, German Studies, and Social Psychology from the University of Trier
• Doctoral studies under Baden-Württemberg State Graduate Scholarship (2015-2017)
• Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the University of Tübingen (2019), awarded summa cum laude for research on media constructions of family competence in child protection cases

Dahlheimer's research integrates cultural sociology with empirical methodology to examine institutional childcare systems. Her work critically analyzes how media narratives construct 'family risk' through discursive practices that frame parental competence, particularly in abuse cases. She investigates quality development mechanisms in daycare settings through longitudinal monitoring projects across multiple German municipalities, focusing on professional recognition frameworks for international educators and equity impacts of federal childcare legislation. Her methodological expertise spans discourse analysis, mixed-methods evaluation, and comparative policy studies.

Her current research portfolio reveals strong thematic continuity in examining institutional responses to family diversity, with recent publications emphasizing professional recognition systems and quality assurance frameworks in early childhood education.

Key scientific distinctions include:

• summa cum laude doctoral distinction for groundbreaking research on media constructions of family competence
• State-funded graduate scholarship recognizing research potential in social sciences

Dahlheimer directs multiple externally funded research initiatives totaling over €1.5 million since 2018, including federal evaluations of the KiQuTG childcare quality law and municipal monitoring systems serving 200+ daycare facilities. Her advisory role extends to municipal governments implementing evidence-based quality improvements in early childhood services.

As head of the ZQM research group, she oversees an interdisciplinary team conducting evaluations of nationwide programs like 'Vielfalt willkommen' (promoting international educator integration) and 'Alfa' (supporting single parents), while developing standardized quality assessment protocols adopted by multiple German municipalities.