Alliance comments on study highlighting barriers to take-up of early education entitlements for disadvantaged families
Please find a comment below from the Early Years Alliance following the publication of the report:
The report, funded by the Nuffield Foundation and undertaken by the Centre for Evidence and Implementation, UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, Coram Family and Childcare, and early years expert Ivana La Valle, sheds light on a range of barriers preventing disadvantaged children from taking up the 15 hour early entitlement offer.
Commenting, Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said:
“We know that access to early education has a proven impact on a child’s development and life chances, particularly for children from more deprived backgrounds – and yet, as these findings show, many disadvantaged families continue to face an unnecessarily complex and confusing system which is making it increasingly difficult for them to access early years places.
“Add to this the fact that continued underfunding for the three- and four-year-old offer is still leaving many providers with no option to increase fees and additional charges, and it's clear that the current approach to early years policy is at risk of failing those families most in need of support.
“We're clear that every child,regardless of background, should be able to access affordable, quality early education and care – and yet, even the current early entitlement expansion is aimed solely at working families, leaving those from most disadvantaged backgrounds excluded entirely.
“For years now, we've talked of the need to 'close the gap', while rolling out early years policies that do the exact opposite. It is vital therefore that, going forward, ensuring that ensuring equity of access to early years places is made a key government priority. After all, education – in the early years and beyond – is not a luxury; it is a universal right."