Nursery World - Tammy Campbell: We need to ensure the extended entitlement doesn't worsen inequalities and disadvangtage

The director for early years at the Education Policy Institute says that the focus of early education has now shifted from children, to concentrate instead on promoting parental employment, which is problematic.

The countdown to April 2024 has begun, when the expanded entitlement to funded early education and care will be rolled-out to working families.

By September 2025, 30 hours will be available for babies aged 9 months and up – provided their parents/carers are in work.

Early education and care has the potential to benefit all children, if it is high quality. But it is particularly children who are disadvantaged by other life circumstances that stand to gain most from this provision.

Child-focused policymaking has informed previous expansions of funded hours – for instance the current entitlement to 15 hours per week for children from low-income families.

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