Abstract
Perceptions of users regarding the accessibility of childcare services have been under-researched. The present study addresses this gap by looking into the effect of systemic level characteristics of the ECEC system on the perceived accessibility of childcare at the individual level. Perceived accessibility is composed of perceived affordability, availability, quality and physical accessibility of these services. The socio-ecological model at the micro-level and the model of institutional setting of ECEC (provision, regulation and financing) at the macro-level are combined in multilevel analyses. Our finding is that childcare is perceived to be more accessible in countries that (1) do not allow private commercial profit-making ECEC services for 3–6-year-old children, (2) adopt a unitary ECEC system where services for 0–3-year-olds and 3–6-year-olds are harmonised and (3) provide generous public support per 0–5-year-old child in the ECEC system. The latter has an even stronger effect on families with an income below average.
Highlights
Ensuring the access of every child to an inclusive and good-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) is an important priority for governments as ECEC has a more profound and lasting effect on children’s learning potential than any other intervention in their later lives at any other age, especially for disadvantaged children (Bowers et al 2012; Cunha et al 2006; Heckman 2006; Leseman 2009)
The present study addresses this gap by looking into the effect of systemic level characteristics of the ECEC system on the perceived accessibility of childcare at the individual level
Ünver et al ICEP (2018) 12:5 addresses this gap in the literature for it investigates whether the childcare services are perceived to be accessible in Europe, and how perceived accessibility is affected by the design of the ECEC system
Summary
Ensuring the access of every child to an inclusive and good-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) is an important priority for governments as ECEC has a more profound and lasting effect on children’s learning potential than any other intervention in their later lives at any other age, especially for disadvantaged children (Bowers et al 2012; Cunha et al 2006; Heckman 2006; Leseman 2009). The initial focus on ECEC was to free up mothers’ time so that they can take part in the labour market (Mahon 2002), in line with scientific evidence on the positive outcomes of ECEC for the children themselves, the European discourse started to focus more on high-quality, holistic, complex, integrated, inter-sectoral and inclusive provision (Herczog 2012) Whether these services are effectively accessible is often overlooked by researchers and policy makers (Vandenbroeck and Lazzari 2014), even more so for disadvantaged children from low-income families (Fram and Kim 2008; Ghysels and Van Lancker 2011; OECD 2006, 2012; Sylva et al 2007). Researching perceived accessibility provides both academics and policy makers with insight on whether various ECEC policies have a positive impact on people’s lives
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