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'Keep service universal'

Early years services should be available for all and not targeted at vulnerable families, new guidelines for EU countries state.

The European Commission's first Communication on Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) highlights the need for universal fully integrated services from birth to lay solid foundations for more effective learning in later life. The guidelines, published last month, reject targeting services and benefits to vulnerable groups amid fears it could lead to stigma and segregation later on in life.