Free Early Education Research Articles

The two-year-old offer: exploring parents’ choice not to participate

ABSTRACT There is an increased understanding of the importance of high-quality early years education for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, in relation to their future attainment and future life chances. A recent government initiative in England has sought to provide two-year-olds, from disadvantaged backgrounds, with free early education and childcare. The take up of this offer by parents has varied. This research project worked with one local charity and one Local Authority to investigate the uptake of the two-year-old offer in a specific location identified as having higher than average levels of child poverty. A small scale, qualitative study was undertaken with the parents, and an online questionnaire was used to gather the data through the local Health Visitor service. Parents provided their views concerning the offer and the reasons behind their choice not to participate. The study revealed some key findings concerning the reasons why parents chose not to participate with the offer. These were related to parental perceptions regarding the impact of the offer on themselves, as parents, as well as the impact on their child. The findings from this research project have implications for practitioners seeking to support the engagement of parents, particularly those living in disadvantaged contexts, with children in their early years.

A qualitative investigation of factors preventing parents of typically developed and SEN/D children from taking advantage of the two-year-old funding offer

ABSTRACT Using a qualitative approach including an online survey and a focus group, the study sought to examine the factors that prevented ‘hard to engage’ families from taking advantage of the two-year-old funding for free early education and care within one United Kingdom-based context. In particular, the study sought to identify any barriers that parents with children with SEN/D faced and how these could be rectified. Thematic analysis revealed three themes; a fear of stigmatization, a lack of awareness in regards to eligibility, and concerns over the ability of staff to deal with a child’s additional needs. Findings are discussed with a consideration of whether it is the families that are ‘hard to engage’ or alternatively, whether service providers are themselves ‘hard to engage.

Investigating spatial variations in access to childcare provision using network‐based Geographic Information System models

AbstractA “flagship” policy outlined in the current Welsh Government's 2016 Programme for Government aims to provide 30 hours of free early education and childcare per week to the working parents of three‐ and four‐year‐olds. However, in common with many other countries, there is currently a lack of detail regarding existing levels of childcare provision that can act as a benchmark with which to examine the impacts of this policy. This article addresses an urgent need to understand current levels of provision at detailed geographical scales so as to provide an accurate picture of early childhood education and care across Wales. By drawing on Geographic Information System network models we compare the spatial distribution of providers with that of potential demand arising from those population groups targeted in the childcare offer. These provide a simple to understand supply‐to‐demand ratio that overcome the limitations of ratios derived for arbitrary administrative boundaries. The types of map‐based outputs that emanate from such an approach are demonstrated to provide more insights into spatial patterns of accessibility to current levels of childcare provision. These have guided the choice of pilot studies that will inform the roll out of the full childcare offer by the Welsh Government in 2020.

‘Universal’ early education: Who benefits? Patterns in take‐up of the entitlement to free early education among three‐year‐olds in England

For over a decade, all three‐year‐olds in England have been entitled to a free part‐time early education place. One aim of this policy is to close developmental gaps between higher‐income and low‐income children. However, the success of the initiative depends on children accessing the places. Using the National Pupil Database, we examine all autumn‐born four‐year‐olds attending in January 2011, and ask whether they started attending when first eligible, in January 2010. One in five children did not access their free place from the beginning, and the proportion is much higher among children from families with persistently low incomes. We also find differences by ethnicity and home language, but these factors explain only a small share of the income gradient. We go on to explore associations between non‐take‐up and local area factors. In areas with higher child poverty rates, take‐up is lower overall, but the gap between low‐income and other families is smaller. There are also various associations between take‐up and local proportions of different provider types (maintained, private, voluntary, Sure Start). In particular, the voluntary sector seems to have more flexibility than maintained provision to offer places in January, and more success than private providers in reaching children from lower‐income backgrounds. The analysis also highlights how take‐up overall is relatively high and the gap by income level is smaller in areas with more Sure Start provision. This suggests that aspects of Sure Start facilitated access among low‐income families, and could perhaps be replicated as implementation of the free entitlement continues to be expanded.

Mothers' experiences of a voucher scheme within the context of Hong Kong's early education: Issues of affordability and justice

This paper examines issues of affordability and justice using the concept of “basic structure” as developed by Iris M. Young in order to produce a more nuanced account of the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme. We draw on the experiences of Hong Kong mothers of different socio-economic status who have participated in the voucher scheme. The scheme aims to provide affordable quality early education by giving parents a flat-rate voucher so as to assist them in enrolling their children in non-profit local kindergartens. We base our arguments on the central premise that socially just policy requires meticulous attention to the basic structure that determines distributive patterns. We go on to argue that the basic structure is governed by institutional assumptions, rules, and practices about class, gender, and markets. Our analysis references both quantitative and qualitative data of a three-phased mixed-method study with >1400 mothers. The key findings reveal how mothers of different socio-economic backgrounds experienced the voucher scheme where power structures and relations are legitimized, thus contributing to the structural processes that reproduce constraints and injustice. Mothers' articulation regarding the policy recommendation of free early education adds insights into the constraints they experience and a notion of collective responsibility in supporting the education of young children.

Childcare for disadvantaged children

Research found nearly a third of eligible two-year-olds failed to take up a free early education place, with Ofsted raising concerns about the quality and sufficiency of childcare provision in some areas

Education policy and governance in England under the Coalition Government (2010–15): Academies, the pupil premium, and free early education

This paper explores the governance of school-based and early education in England under the Conservative–Liberal Democrat Coalition Government (2010–15). It draws on three prominent Coalition policy areas – the academies programme, the pupil premium, and free part-time early education – and focuses on changes to the role played by central government in governance; in so doing, it also makes contrasts with Wales and Scotland. An analysis of the funding and regulatory framework reveals that the role of central government in England increased under the Coalition Government and that of local government declined. These changes to governance have served to centralize power on the one hand, and to facilitate and sustain markets in school-based and free early education on the other; the same cannot be said of governance in either Scotland or Wales, where democratically elected local government continues to play a highly significant role.

Coercion, Stability, and Indoctrination in the Pejorative Sense

John Rawls argued in A Theory of Justice that “justice as fairness…is likely to have greater stability than the traditional alternatives since it is more in line with the principles of moral psychology” (TJ 399). In support, he presented a psychology of moral development that was informed by a comprehensive liberalism. In Political Liberalism, Rawls confessed that the argument was “unrealistic and must be recast” (PL xix). Rawls, however, never provided a psychology of moral development informed by a specifically political liberalism, leaving it at a disadvantage with respect to comprehensive liberalism itself. I argue that no coherent account is available. But, because Rawls’s Liberal Principle of Legitimacy, along with its implied stricture against “indoctrination in the pejorative sense,” is a creature of ideal rather than non-ideal theory, the deficiency is far less significant than many would assume. In non-ideal circumstances -- such as ours -- political liberalism does not disallow, and in fact requires, compulsory, free early education informed by the best available comprehensive liberal philosophy.

The role of ‘embeddedness’ in the delivery of integrated children's services

How integration of statutory and voluntary children's services can occur is the focus of this paper and is theorised using ‘embeddedness’ theory. The paper considers strategies utilised by practitioners in integrated Children's Centres in one English Local Authority to engage children and families identified as requiring enhanced (targeted) services. The service comprised free early education for two year olds and bespoke packages of family support aimed at improving parenting practice, improved safeguarding and contributing to greater self-efficacy for parents and carers. The findings indicate the importance of, and often lack of, ‘embeddedness’ in local communities and within statutory and non-statutory services and propose this as a barrier to the most disadvantaged families participating in services.

Take twos – considering all the possibilities in schools

Nursery WorldVol. 2014, No. 4 FeatureTake twos – considering all the possibilities in schoolsJames HempsallJames HempsallSearch for more papers by this authorJames HempsallPublished Online:12 Jun 2014https://doi.org/10.12968/nuwa.2014.21.4.1143548AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextView EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View articleAbstractSchool provision for two-year-olds helps continue the expansion of free early education places for this age group, yet it is often misunderstood, says James Hempsall FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 1 April 2014Volume 2014Issue 4ISSN (print): 0029-6422ISSN (online): 2059-9358 Metrics History Published online 12 June 2014 Published in print 1 April 2014 Information© MA Education Ltd

Funding and costs dominate thoughts

THE CURSE of writing an editorial one week before the spending review for 2015-16 is announced may well be about to strike. But I will plough on and hope that next month I will be able to say, ‘I got it wrong, everything is ne...’ is could well be a pivotal moment for the early years sector, as funding streams are announced amid departmental budget cuts. At the time of writing, several online news sites are reporting that the early years will su er cuts, while the schools budget is protected. Patrick Wintour, writing for www. guardian.co.uk [Pre-school and further education may face cuts in spending review, ursday 20 June] reports that schools minister David Laws told an IPPR think tank meeting that he was pleased about the outcome for schools, implying that settlement for further education and pre-school learning may be less good. e story also suggests the department was willing to take a cut of £2 billion. If this is true then we should be very worried in the early years. Of course, in times of austerity we should all be prepared to play a part in cost control, but it would not take a cynic to wonder whether a protected school’s budget would best serve Michael Gove’s academy and free school programme, when money would be much better spent in providing adequate funding for the early years sector and early intervention. As I write, these are all simply reports, and the reality may well be that the spending review is kind to the early years sector, but any loss in funding will be a major blow, especially in light of the recent NDNA Business Performance Survey, which revealed that ‘chronic underfunding of free early education places is threatening the a ordability of high-quality childcare places for families’. e report highlighted that nurseries are ‘being forced to make up losses on government-funded free nursery hours through the fees they charge parents for extra hours, pushing up the cost of childcare’. According to the survey, 82 percent said the hourly rate for funded places did not cover costs, with an average loss of £700 per year, per child. Of course, More Great Childcare contained within its pages a number of measures to improve the nancial state of the early years. Unfortunately, for the sector, the major cost-saving/revenue-generating measure, the relaxation of ratios was never going to solve any problems, even according to the DfE’s own calculations. So, with costs increasing, the expansion of free entitlement to a greater number of two-year-olds and with local authority budgets no longer ring-fenced to ensure a certain level of funding reaches the front line, the sector must look to the spending review with trepidation. On top of the inadequate level of free entitlement funding, the sector has also been tasked with increasing quali cation levels and playing their part in improving pay and status. Perhaps, if you are a big chain you will be able to cope with any loss of funding, but for many PVI settings, or childminders, many of which provide excellent provision, where will the money come from, other than rising costs to parents? Editor Neil Henty MSc eye@markallengroup.com

BIG ISSUE: Free early education for disadvantaged two-year-olds, Part 1

BIG ISSUE: Free early education for disadvantaged two-year-olds, Part 1

BIG ISSUE: Free early education for disadvantaged two-year-olds, Part 3

BIG ISSUE: Free early education for disadvantaged two-year-olds, Part 3

BIG ISSUE: Free early education for disadvantaged two-year-olds, Part 2

BIG ISSUE: Free early education for disadvantaged two-year-olds, Part 2