Part II International Research Trends in Early Childhood Care and Education
Trends and Issues in ECCE Policy in England:
Focusing on Free Early Years Provision
2017 Volume 55 Issue 2 Pages 132-143
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2017 Volume 55 Issue 2 Pages 132-143
The landscape of early childhood care and education (ECCE) in England has changed dramatically in the last twenty years. The state of confusion in the mid-1990s was settled and the universal delivery-system established. Today, almost all three and four-year-olds in England receive 570 hours a year of free ECCE, and 40% of twoyear-olds are entitled to it, depending on economic status. Free hours will be doubled in September 2017. This paper reviews the research on ECCE policies from the 1990s to investigate the path to universal free provision and its impact. The market-based delivery system, once most effective for rapid expansion of ECCE, now raises challenges. A focus on parental choice and flexible service may result in higher parental employability, but not necessarily the wellbeing of children. Time and space appropriate to preschool children needs to be assured.
