Brussels, 25/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - On 19 June, the European Commission deplored the findings of a new report by the Eurydice network, according to which early childhood education and care is insufficient and of low quality in Europe.
Only eight countries (Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Malta, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden and Norway) guarantee a legal right to early childhood education and care (ECEC) soon after a child's birth, normally after the end of paid maternity or parental leave. In all other countries, the gap between the end of maternity/parental leave and legal entitlement to ECEC is more than two years.
“Supporting young children, particularly the most vulnerable ones living in poverty, should be an obligation… Quality ECEC is an essential building block for economic and social fulfilment and mobility later in life”, stated Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education.
The report covers 32 European countries (all EU Member States except the Netherlands, plus Iceland, Turkey, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) and highlights the challenges they face in providing quality services to the 32 million children of an age to benefit from these services. The report shows that the provision of quality ECEC is affected in many countries by lack of funding, staff shortages, employees with low qualifications and a lack of educational guidelines for teachers and other staff. This is a serious concern, as one in four children in Europe under the age of six is at risk of poverty or social exclusion and may need specific support for their educational needs
The report also notes that: 1) costs vary greatly across Europe and reductions are often provided for low-income families and those facing hardship; fees for children under three are highest in Ireland, Luxembourg, the UK and Switzerland (countries where private provision dominates) and charges are lowest in Eastern European and the Nordic countries; 2) good teaching and learning practices largely determine the quality of ECEC: educational steering guidelines are essential for setting standards; however, these guidelines are restricted to ECEC provision for children aged three or above in around half of the countries surveyed; 3) for children under 3 the emphasis tends to be on care rather than stimulating educational progress; 4) in many countries the qualification requirements for staff working with the youngest children are lower than for those working with older children, where they normally need at least a higher education diploma. (IL)