Early Childhood Development in Europe: Integration and Quality

Children’s rights, from infancy and early childhood, are enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).   The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has set these out in General comment no. 7 (2005), Implementing child rights in early childhood.   The Committee emphasises that young children are holders of all Convention rights and that early childhood is a critical period for the realisation of these rights.    This sub-report, Early Childhood Development in Europe: focus on integrated and quality services for all, draws on Eurochild’s flagship report, ‘Unequal Childhoods: Rights on paper should be rights in practice’.  It outlines the progress made as well as the ongoing challenges affecting very young children, their families and caregivers.  This sub-report highlights issues affecting early childhood development, including access to quality Early Years care and education and makes recommendations to European governments and institutions to support the fulfilment of children’s rights from their earliest years.

Findings from Eurochild members
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1.     Positive interventions that support early childhood development

Several countries across Europe recognise the crucial importance of early childhood development, with clear policies, services and initiatives that aim to provide support for young children and their families and caregivers, from pregnancy and infancy.

Ireland has allocated €25.2 million for the first two years of the Equal Start programme – a government initiative to help disadvantaged children participate in early learning and childcare. This will include an Enhanced Nutrition Programme in Equal Start priority settings.

2.     Investing in early intervention, cross-sector support and integrated services for children’s early years

The need for more investment in early intervention and preventive family and parenting support as well as the importance of a network of integrated, cross sector service for young children and their caregivers was stressed by several countries.  One stop hubs for access to early childhood information, services and support were also highlighted as useful and needed.

3.     Obstacles to children’s participation in quality early childhood education and care

Despite efforts on children’s participation in quality Early Years care and education, ongoing challenges hinder progress in many countries across Europe. The sub-report highlighted existing barriers to children’s participation in Early Years care and education, including fees and other costs, insufficient places in facilities and insufficient staff. A lack of inclusive infrastructure and of qualified personnel to support children with disabilities was also highlighted in several countries.

Unequal access and barriers to participation

Unequal participation in quality Early Years care and education remains a key issue, with a lack of sufficient places in Early Years settings in most countries and other barriers to children’s enrolment. Fees, hidden costs and a lack of transport options still present obstacles to participation in Early Years for many children. Increased public investment in Early Years is needed to ensure access to quality Early Years services for all children, including the most disadvantaged.

The importance of trained staff

The insufficient number of qualified and trained staff in Early Years settings remains a challenge in many countries.  In particular, organisations in several countries highlighted the lack of qualified staff and infrastructure to ensure inclusive learning environments and support children with disabilities in Early Years settings.

4.     More data needed to inform policy and practice

In almost all countries, there is a need for data on early childhood development and services to be broken down into smaller groups for analysis. Better data is required to develop policies and action plans, to understand disparities in access to quality early childhood services and monitor progress. The lack of disaggregated data limits the ability of policymakers and service providers to design and implement targeted, effective interventions, and to tailor support for the most disadvantaged children and families.

Recommendations

• Increase public investment in early childhood development, ensuring universal access to essential services for all children aged birth–6.
• Adopt a comprehensive and cross-sector approach to early childhood development, with a range of integrated and coordinated services that can support all young children and their families, especially those who are most marginalised.
• Focus investment on early and local interventions, with community-based services and hubs where families and caregivers can access early childhood services and support.
• Increase public investment to expand free, inclusive, high-quality Early Years education and care for all children, including those aged 0-3.
• Invest in Early Years staff who can provide tailored support for children with disabilities or who face particular disadvantages and ensure inclusive learning.
• Ensure that Early Years provision is of high quality, with national standards and a qualified, professional and valued Early Years workforce.
• Fully implement the European Child Guarantee, the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the revised Barcelona targets on Early Childhood Education and Care.
• Support a European Year of Early Childhood.

Conclusion

The sub-report highlights that many countries recognise children’s earliest years are a crucial time for their healthy development and have invested in policies and programmes that support children in both infancy and early childhood.   However, I it also identifies that challenges remain and there is an ongoing need to invest in comprehensive, integrated and cross-sector services for families with young children. Early intervention and support are key to addressing child poverty, social exclusion and discrimination, including in early childhood, and this remains an urgent priority.

Despite the expansion of Early Years settings, many countries face a shortage of places and of staff, especially staff that can provide tailored support for children with disabilities or particular needs. This highlights the need to continue to invest in a professional workforce that can ensure quality care and inclusive education for all children.   To address this, there is a need for data to be broken down into meaningful categories to support the development of targeted and effective policies, identify inequalities and service gaps and improve overall outcomes for children.

You can read the full sub-report here.

If you have any questions about our work, please email policy@earlychildhoodireland.ie.