Policy Press An Equal Start?: Providing Quality Early Education and Care for Disadvantaged Children (CASE Studies on Poverty, Place & Policy)

Early education and care has become a central policy area in many countries. As services expand rapidly, it is crucial to examine whether children from disadvantaged backgrounds receive provision of the highest possible quality. In this original, topical book, leading experts from eight countries examine how early education and care is organised, funded and regulated in their countries. Bringing together recent statistical evidence, the book gives an up-to-date picture of access to services by different groups, providing rich insights on how policies play out in practice , and the extent to which they help or hinder disadvantaged children to receive high quality provision. An equal start? reveals the common tensions and complexities countries face in ensuring that early education and care is affordable, accessible and of high quality. Its critical examination of the potential for better policies ensures that An equal start? will be of interest to academic readers as well as policy makers and practitioners. About the Author Ludovica Gambaro was at the time of writing Research Officer at the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion and is now Research Officer at the Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Institute of Education, University of London. Kitty Stewart is Lecturer in Social Policy at the London School of Economics & Political Science and Research Associate at CASE. Jane Waldfogel is Compton Foundation Centennial Professor at Columbia University School of Social Work, USA and Visiting Professor at CASE, London School of Economics & Political Science.