Approaches To Early Child Education In Europe

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Currently, in Europe, there are two approaches to ensuring universal access to (Early Childhood Education & Care) ECEC. Some countries provide a legal entitlement to an ECEC place, while others make ECEC attendance compulsory. Each approach requires public authorities to commit to guaranteeing a place in ECEC. However, there are some fundamental differences. A legal entitlement means a child has a right to ECEC, but when it is compulsory, a child has a legal obligation to attend. The nature of the place guarantee therefore differs. Under the legal entitlement, public authorities have to guarantee a place for any child in the age-range covered whose parents request it. In contrast, in countries where ECEC is compulsory, public authorities must guarantee a sufficient number of places for all children in the age range covered by the legal obligation.

In Europe, there are significant differences in the age at which children have a guaranteed place in ECEC. Only seven EU Member States (Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Finland and Sweden) as well as Norway guarantee a place in ECEC for each child from an early age (6-18 months), often immediately after the end of childcare leave. A place in publicly subsidised ECEC is guaranteed from the age of 3 or a little earlier in the three Communities of Belgium, as well as in Czechia, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Hungary, Poland and the United Kingdom (England, Wales and Scotland). Around a quarter of European education systems provide guaranteed places from age 4, 5 or 6 for the last 1-2 years of ECEC. Often, this provision is explicitly directed at preparation for primary education and is compulsory.

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Most European countries guarantee between 20 and 29 ECEC hours a week. Weekly opening hours are often aligned with that of primary schools and reflect the educational focus of the provision. Opening hours that cover parents’ full-time working week are available only in a handful of countries (Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Slovenia and Norway). A quarter of European education systems have no legal framework to ensure a place in ECEC. However, some of them still have high ECEC participation rates, usually from the age at which ECEC provision becomes part of the education system. For example, this is the case from age 3 in Malta and the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland), and from age 4 in the Netherlands. In Iceland, ECEC is widely available from age 2. Demand is nevertheless considered to be higher than supply during the last year before the start of primary education in the French Community of Belgium, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Montenegro and Turkey. Many European countries have recently been extending the right to ECEC. During the last five years, five countries (Czechia, Croatia, Lithuania, Finland and Sweden) have introduced compulsory ECEC for one year prior to starting primary education. The period of compulsory attendance has been extended from one to two years in Greece and one to three years in Hungary. Moreover, a legal entitlement to ECEC has been introduced or extended in Czechia, Poland and Portugal.

In Europe, most families have to pay fees for ECEC for the youngest group of children. The availability of ECEC free of charge increases noticeably at age 3 and this trend continues with each year of age, becoming almost universal across Europe during the last year before compulsory primary education starts. In order to ensure access, the provision of ECEC free of charge has to be accompanied by a place guarantee. Without the supporting legal framework that enforces the right to ECEC, this provision may be limited and waiting lists may be long with complex priority rules. However, currently only one European country – Latvia – guarantees a free public ECEC place for every child from as early as 1-and-a-half. In the remaining countries, most parents have to pay for ECEC in the earliest years. Average monthly fees are the highest in Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. For example, in Ireland, average monthly fees reach EUR 771. These countries rely on market-driven mechanisms to supply ECEC to children under age 3, although some subsidies for the most disadvantaged may be available. Most countries have put in place policies to offer priority admission and fee reductions to vulnerable children and families. Children living in poverty are the most commonly targeted group. Family income is a widespread criterion, often used in combination with family composition. As a separate criterion – although largely correlated with poverty – the children of single parents often benefit from targeted measures.

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