How Policy Can Increase Access to Early Years Childcare Support for Ethnic Minority Families
Alexis Palá, Amanda Hill-Dixon, Urte Macikene
Increasing access to early childhood education and care (ECEC) among Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic children and families in Wales
Increasing access to early childhood education and care (ECEC) is a global priority as it is seen as key for tackling and preventing a range of inequalities. As well as removing financial barriers and increasing the availability of ECEC, governments must address cultural, social and structural barriers to increase access among Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic children and families.
Since November 2023, the Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP) and the International Public Policy Observatory (IPPO) have jointly led research into what works to enable and increase access to ECEC among ethnic minority children and families.
UK-wide findings and recommendations
Our Overarching Policy Summary distils the key findings from a Rapid Evidence Review (RER) by the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information (EPPI) Centre and an International Policy Scan by the International Network of Scientific and Government Advice (INGSA). Based on the evidence, we recommend UK decision-makers focus potential policy interventions on:
- Developing a bespoke and integrated strategy to adequately address the multiple, interrelated factors affecting ethnic minority access.
- Addressing social, cultural and practical barriers to better understand and respond to the needs of specific communities and develop more culturally sensitive practices.
- Utilising community outreach and engagement to increase participation in ECEC.
Our recommendations respond to UK-wide challenges identified by the research around access gaps, since childcare availability and accessibility remain significant issues for many, and inadequate data due to a lack of routinely collected (granular) ethnicity data.
What do these findings mean for Wales?
This IPPO-WCPP project stems from discussions with the Welsh Government about their Early Childcare, Play, Learning and Care (ECPLC) policy goals and their commitment to the 2022 Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan which names Childcare and Play as a key policy area.
To prioritise and translate our research findings and recommendations to Wales, we collaborated with stakeholders to develop a Theory of Change for anti-racist early years childcare that encourages the Welsh Government to focus on:
- Integrating community into ECPLC
- Embedding cultural sensitivity and inclusivity
- Increasing ECPLC workforce diversity and professionalisation
- Tackling data inadequacy
Our Workshop Insight Note provides more detail into our approach and the priority areas identified through a workshop with Welsh Government officials and key stakeholders. Two published outputs that shaped and guided the workshop discussion were:
- An Evidence Synthesis Map that takes a more systematic view of the global evidence and promising approaches alongside local, Wales-based insights.
- A systems map on key barriers, outcomes, and actors in Wales developed using the SEPPA method at the start of the project.
For more information on the project, please contact WCPP Research Associate: [email protected]