Introduction This chapter and the following two are intended to use the supply approach discussed in Chapter 1 to explore the significance of the key elements of the life-mix framework in four policy domains – namely, childcare leave measures, ECEC, pensions and ALMPs. These policy domains could have direct effects on how women organise their working and caring lives. Measures in these policy domains in seven East Asian and non-East Asian countries and territories (namely, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, South Korea, Sweden and the UK) are examined
153 NINE Canadian eCeC labour shortages: big, costly and solvable Robert Fairholm and Jerome Davis introduction Canada’s early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector is primarily under the jurisdiction of the provinces and territories. Each jurisdiction has its own distinct set of regulations, programmes and policies. These differences result in a diverse mix of employment settings, training requirements and availability of regulated childcare places. Despite the myriad of approaches there are a number of striking similarities in the ECEC labour market
Introduction Childcare arrangements are not solely about practical matters; they also raise moral questions. However, staying at home or using childcare are not necessarily a free choice instead; parents’ childcare arrangements will vary depending on their needs and the range of options available to them ( Peyton et al, 2001 ). Childcare arrangements, including both formal (for example, institutional early childhood education and care [ECEC]) and informal (parental or non-parental) childcare settings, can be viewed as links in the chain of childcare (see
147 SEVEN new Zealand: A narrative of shifting policy directions for early childhood education and care Helen May Introduction Between 1999 and 2008 the centre-left Labour government in New Zealand made radical changes to the provision of early childhood education and care (ECEC). The government introduced funding to support participation in ‘high need’ centres and services, delivered on a policy of 20 hours’ free early childhood education (ECE) per week for three and four-year olds, increased universal subsidies including for children under three and was
151 NINE The business of care: Australia’s experiment with the marketisation of childcare Deborah Brennan1 Introduction The care and education of young children has been subject to ‘a surge of policy attention’ since the 1990s (OECD, 2006). According to some policy experts, high quality education and care services are ‘the centrepiece of progressive institution-building in the early 21st century’ (Pearce and Paxton, 2005: xxi). Early childhood education and care (ECEC) can contribute to multiple goals: facilitating the labour force participation of
121 SIX Access and quality issues in early childhood education and care: the case of Germany Pamela Oberhuemer Introduction The past decade in Germany has witnessed an unprecedented increase in policy initiatives and fast-paced change in the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC). This enhanced prioritisation of the years from birth to the start of compulsory schooling at age six has been stimulated by three main agendas. The first is a longer-term policy concern regarding the expansion of publicly subsidised early childhood services. Propelled
219 TEN Common challenges, lessons for policy Kitty Stewart, Ludovica Gambaro, Jane Waldfogel and Jill Rutter Although national contexts are different, countries face similar challenges in attempting to ensure that all children have access to high-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) provision. There are inevitable tensions in trying to deliver on all three corners of what Katherine Magnuson and Jane Waldfogel refer to in their chapter on the US as the ‘childcare triangle’ – access, quality and affordability. In this concluding chapter we draw
Early education and care has become a central policy area in many countries. As services expand rapidly, it is crucial to examine whether children from disadvantaged backgrounds receive provision of the highest possible quality.
In this original, topical book, leading experts from eight countries examine how early education and care is organised, funded and regulated in their countries. Bringing together recent statistical evidence, the book gives an up-to-date picture of access to services by different groups, providing rich insights on how policies play out in practice, and the extent to which they help or hinder disadvantaged children to receive high quality provision.
An equal start? reveals the common tensions and complexities countries face in ensuring that early education and care is affordable, accessible and of high quality. Its critical examination of the potential for better policies ensures that An equal start? will be of interest to academic readers as well as policy makers and practitioners.
. While over the last decade France has continued to progressively consolidate and enhance its promotion of policies to support the work–family life balance, the introduction of new laws in the domain of early childhood education and care (ECEC) has mirrored the growing hold of employment policies over childcare policies. What has been at stake when it comes to accessible, affordable and good quality ECEC? To what extent is the system meeting the challenge of providing equal access for all children under six? What were the rationales underpinning changes and
backgrounds. This chapter outlines the main features of the Norwegian early childhood education and care (ECEC) model and addresses key policy challenges. 54 An equal start? Major policy reforms and rationales The Day Care Institution Act of 1975 represented the start of modern childcare services in Norway. The act stated that childcare should be a service for all parents who wanted it. Childcare thus became part of universally oriented welfare services, supported by nearly all political parties. Today’s Kindergarten Act (Act No 64 of June 2005 relating to
