International Indicators as a Measure of National Policies

National policies on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECEC) are usually evaluated by commentators in terms of their own history and context. However, the recent OECD family database offers comparative tables on a range of ECEC policies, and charts their impact on different socio-economic groups w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of early childhood Vol. 46; no. 1; pp. 33 - 46
Main Author: Penn, Helen
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.04.2014
Springer
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Childhood
Comparative Analysis
Comparative studies
Early Childhood Education
Education
Education authorities
Education policy
Educational Policy
Expenditures
Family (Sociological Unit)
Foreign Countries
Income inequality
International and Comparative Education
Low income groups
Money
Original Article
Outcomes of Education
Payments
Politics of Education
Private Sector
Public Policy
Return on investment
Social Indicators
Socioeconomic factors
Statistical Data
United Kingdom
Young Children
United Kingdom
United Kingdom > UK
OECD family database
Childcare costs
ECEC international comparisons
ISSN:0020-7187, 1878-4658
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:National policies on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECEC) are usually evaluated by commentators in terms of their own history and context. However, the recent OECD family database offers comparative tables on a range of ECEC policies, and charts their impact on different socio-economic groups within countries. From a comparative point of view some measures are clearly more effective than others in redistributing income and mitigating inequality. This article is based on recent work undertaken for the Department of Education in England, and illustrates how analysis of the OECD figures can highlight the strengths and weaknesses of ECEC policy in the UK. It demonstrates that whilst UK expenditure on ECEC services is high, there is a relatively poor return on investment. It suggests in particular that demand-led payments (giving money to parents rather than to services) and loose regulatory requirements about private sector charges and finances, lead to poor value for money.
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ISSN:0020-7187
1878-4658
DOI:10.1007/s13158-013-0099-9