NEW RESEARCH
Shifting the Conversation
Our previous research into wider public attitudes to early education and childcare showed that those who are most likely to prioritise the issue at the next election are those with children who are still using some form of childcare.
These guides are focused on parents’ attitudes, but also, importantly, on how the debate can include the needs of children themselves. They share insights from the Early Education and Childcare Coalition’s research and are underpinned by the Common Outcomes Framework for Children, developed by Kindred Squared and For Baby’s Sake. The framing in these guides was developed by exploring and testing parents’ attitudes towards this framework and how early education can best support their children to thrive.
REPORT
Retention and Return: Delivering the expansion of early years entitlement in England
New research by the Early Education and Childcare Coalition, the University of Leeds, and the Women’s Budget Group looks at the impact of the early years workforce crisis on the Government’s plans for expansion of childcare that were announced in the Spring Budget.
Retention and return: delivering the expansion of early years entitlement in England aims to better understand the conditions of the current early years workforce (those working in group settings and childminders), the implications of the extended entitlement, and what is needed to ensure any expansion of access can be successful while delivering the high-quality provision that children deserve.
A Public Good Approach: Learning from Ireland's Early Education and Childcare Reform
In the last ten years the Irish government, in close collaboration with a range of ECEC stakeholders, has been engaged in an exciting and ambitious change programme to create a universal ECEC system characterised by high quality, availability, accessibility, and sustainability. To further this agenda, the government is taking a more prominent public management and public funding role, forging a transformed partnership with ECEC providers. Change accelerated from 2019 onwards after the publication of a whole-of-government strategy, First5.
The paper aims to offer opportunities for learning to enrich discussions about routes to reform in England.
Working together for an early education and childcare sector that delivers for our children, for parents, and for the economy.
The Early Education and Childcare Coalition unites the voices of parents, children, providers, those working in the sector and the wider business community.
Our vision is of an early education and childcare sector that provides high-quality, affordable provision for all families in all communities, and with it, good pay, conditions, and funding for those providing that education and care.
Together we’re using our collective voice and robust research to build public and political support for a sector that underpins all of our lives.