The First International Biennial Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education: Articles by the experts |25 March 2017

Equity in (of) Early Childhood Care and Education

In this article, entitled ‘Equity in (of) Early Childhood Care and Education’ by Dr Christian Morabito, the author stresses that  all children should be given the equal opportunities to access educational facilities from a young age regardless of their gender, social status or race.

Equity, according to contemporary philosophy is a situation where a person’s life achievements are determined primarily by his or her talents and efforts, rather than by pre-determined circumstances such as race, gender, social or family background. Equity therefore means equalising opportunities, or ‘levelling the playing field'.

International organisations supported by scholars from various disciplines such as economics, neuro-sciences and sociology, outline that inequalities in life achievements (education, health, earnings, social position, well-being) are to a large extent moulded by disadvantage in accessing opportunities during the early years. Provision of high quality care and education (ECCE) before compulsory school age is universally considered as a prominent egalitarian policy. As affirmed by the director of Unesco, Irina Bokova: “ECCE increases education attainment and productivity, resulting in higher earnings and social mobility. No matter what internationally agreed goal you take, it is the poorest and marginalized groups that are deprived of education, health care and other basic human entitlements required to live in dignity. Early childhood care and education is a starting point for levelling the playing field. It is the greatest of equalisers”. However, ECCE interventions, in order to effectively act as equaliser, need to fulfil some conditions.

First of all, access to ECCE services should be guaranteed to every child, regardless of her/his background. This is not often the case. Many constraints might prevent disadvantaged children to access services. For instance, households with limited economic resources might not afford costs of ECCE; families' cultural values might be 'hostile' vis-à-vis early care; or parents might simply lack knowledge about possible ad hoc schemes in support of children in vulnerable situations.

Secondly, access is important, but might not be sufficient to level the playing field, unless quality is also equally distributed. Quality is defined by structural aspects, such as high staff-child ratios and small group size, qualified staff, along with balance in gender and diversity, programme duration (the longer the better), well-planned and coordinated curriculum, well-defined spaces and boundaries, enforced standards, children and parents' participation. Yet, equalizing 'quality' does not mean providing the same experiences to every child. Instead it requires ECCE services to recognise barriers to learning, and to actively address them, by adapting structural aspects to the needs of every child.

Ensuring equity in (of) ECCE is certainly a complex exercise. But lessons learned from experiences around the world, can guide policy makers in developing effective equitable ECCE programmes and interventions.

Universality and free public provision is the best solution to ensure equal access. Programme targeting poor children, such as means-test subsidies or vouchers, might also be undertaken, but experiences in countries which have experimented these approaches have not been effective in enhancing access to ECCE. In addition, it is crucial to sensitise marginalised households about the importance of ECCE (and availability of services/pro-poor schemes) through communication campaigns involving local authorities and community-based organisations. Coordination across sectors is another key feature to ensure equal access. ECCE should be accompanied (and coordinated with) income support schemes, labour policies ensuring parental participation to child care and education, health and nutrition strategies, legal framework to fulfill child rights.

Disadvantaged children need individualised or additional support to be fully engaged in a quality ECCE. In this respect, curricula should be 'open', stimulating children through play, self-expression, sharing their experiences with peers and parents, rather than organising learning through established goals. They should also be 'holistic', thus promoting the cognitive, non cognitive and physical development of the child by respecting her/his background. Assessments also need to embed these elements. The staff have a crucial role in ensuring equity. Their pedagogical practices should be inclusive, involving children, and more importantly families as well as local communities in the decision-making process. Child minders and educators need to develop skills to welcome diversity, respect different family socio-economic and cultural backgrounds and values, and build trustful relationships with parents and communities. A combination of both initial training and continued professional development is essential in this sense. Families should be encouraged to take an active role in their children’s education, for example, by relating learning and home activities, and also developing parental education and participatory programmes.

A contribution by the Institute of Early Childhood Development (IECD)

Biography

Dr Christian Morabito is a consultant from IBE-Unesco. He is also an international researcher with more than 10 years of experience in the field of inequalities, social policies, early childhood education, development cooperation, policy-oriented research, advisory support and policy making.  Dr Morabito holds a Ph.D. in Social Work and Social Welfare Studies, a Master of Science in Globalisation and Development as well as a University Degree in International Relations and Diplomatic Sciences.