Research suggests that high-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) can have a positive and long-lasting effect on children's outcomes, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and parents’ ability to work and their quality of life. However, there is also evidence that children who stand to gain most, are least likely to access the funded entitlements.
The first major survey into the scale of poverty stigma in Wales has found that 25% of the Welsh population have experienced poverty stigma ‘always’, ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’ in the last year.
It is increasingly urgent to recognise the complex structural situation now facing the sector, beyond the headlines of some individual councils going bankrupt.
Since November 2023, the International Public Policy Observatory (IPPO) and the Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP) have been working in partnership to provide the Welsh Government with evidence to inform further research and policy decisions on supporting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic children and families in Wales.
