Early years research and policy

Presentation made at The 9th Meeting of the OECD Network on Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) - Family and Community Engagement , 4-5 July 2011, Paris, France

The impact of Sure Start local programmes on seven year olds and their families

This research report presents the findings of a longitudinal study into the impact of Sure Start local programmes (SSLPs) on 7-year-olds and their families. In assessing the impact of SSLPs on child and family functioning over time, the evaluation followed up over 5,000 7-year-olds and their families in 150 SSLP areas who were initially studied when the children were 9 months and 3- and 5-years-old

The impact of Sure Start Local Programmes on five year olds and their families

The ultimate goal of Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) was to enhance the life chances for young children growing up in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Children in these communities are at risk of doing poorly at school, having trouble with peers and agents of authority (i.e., parents, teachers), and ultimately experiencing compromised life chances. In this report children and families who were seen at 9 months and 3 years of age in the NESS or MCS longitudinal studies are compared to determine whether differences in child and family functioning found at 3 years of age persist until 5 years of age, and whether any other differences emerge

National evaluation of Sure Start local programmes: an economic perspective

The first 524 Sure Start local programmes (SSLPs) were established between 1999 and 2003. They were aimed at families with children up to the age of 4 living in disadvantaged areas. The aim was to bring together early education, childcare, health services and family support to promote the physical, intellectual and social development of babies and children. This report discusses the economic issues arising out of the evaluation of the impact of Sure Start local programmes in England. It takes the outcomes for children and families at the age of five years reported in the National Evaluation of Sure Start and where possible estimates economic values for those outcomes. Where a direct estimation of economic value is not possible at this stage, probable sources of future economic values are discussed. It should be read in conjunction with the impact report, which describes the details of the methodology of the study and the full range of outcomes for children and their families when the children were 5-years-old

The impact of Sure Start local programmes on three-year-olds and their families

This evaluation found that living in a Sure Start Local Programme (SSLP) area was associated with positive impacts on 5 of the 14 outcomes investigated. The analysis of the most recent data shows beneficial effects for almost all children and families living in SSLP areas and provides almost no evidence of adverse effects on population sub-groups such as workless or lone-parent families. These results are in marked contrast to the findings of the initial study published in 2005. Although methodological variations may account for differences in findings across the two phases of the evaluation, the researchers argue that it is eminently possible that the differing results accurately reflect the contrasting experiences of SSLP children and families in the two phases. They argue that the three-year-olds in the latest study have benefited from exposure to more mature and developed local programmes throughout their young lives

Provision of quality early childcare services: synthesis report

Childcare systems involve labour market, parental leave and childcare policies. It is clear that some countries, including the Czech Republic, fall far behind recommended targets for childcare provision. Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) has two major functions: to help parents’ participation in the labour market, and to foster children’s development. Governments frequently make the mistake of focussing on one only of these functions, and it is negligent for a government to ignore that ECEC will inevitably influence both parental employment and children’s development. Societies are changing, and the demand for skills will increase, and required skills will change so an adaptable workforce is important. A country’s future depends on how it treats children. It is almost always cheaper, more effective, and more sustainable to prevent problems rather than to try and cure them later, and preschool experience is critical for adult skills. The most effective approach to ECEC is high-quality universal services, with additional individual support for those in need. Good quality, affordable ECEC helps the reconciliation of work and family life and thus fosters parental labour market participation and gender equality. Improving childcare may also improve declining fertility rates, by lowering the cost of childbearing in terms of employment and career opportunities. The use of childcare will be affected by parental leave and the availability, cost, and quality of care. Very long parental leave appears to lead to lower use of childcare in a number of countries. Children’s daily experiences drive child development, and these daily experiences constitute the quality of care. Overall, high-quality childcare has been associated with benefits for children’s development, with the strongest effects for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The evidence on preschool years (over three years) is fairly consistent, but the evidence for birth to three years is equivocal with some studies finding negative effects, some no effects and some positive effects associated with childcare. Discrepant results relate partly to age of starting and partly to quality of childcare. Also childcare effects vary by family background and negative, neutral and positive effects may occur depending on the relative balance of quality of care at home and in childcare. Effects may relate to both quantity and quality of childcare, but effect sizes for childcare are about half that for family factors. Stable care with staff that has good training contributes substantially to good quality care. As indicated in the EU (2013) recommendation on investing in children, investing in highquality ECEC is an effective evidence-based policy tool, although it is not a panacea. However, the level of ECEC provision is very unequal across the EU, and to be effective, it needs to be of high quality. The Czech Republic is planning policy changes to expand its childcare system. As early child development is the foundation for later educational, social and occupational success, there are likely to be longer-term consequences. Such changes may well affect longer-term EU-2020 goals through improving children’s outcomes including reducing early school-leaving and improving access to higher education, which in turn may lead to overall poverty reduction, and enhanced social inclusion, resulting from improved employment amongst the population

The quality of group childcare settings used by 3-4 year old children in Sure Start local programme areas and the relationship with child outcomes (Research report DFE-RR068)

"Influenced by research indicating long-term benefits of early childhood programmes for disadvantaged children, the Government of the time set up Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) from 1998 to reduce child poverty and social exclusion. By 2004, 524 SSLPs targeted families with children 0-4 years of age in the 20% most deprived communities. In 2005 it was decided to develop SSLPs further by turning them into children’s centres and roll out the programme nationally, ensuring that comprehensive early education and family support services are available for every community. The National Evaluation of Sure Start has been undertaking research relevant to the development of SSLPs since 2001. This part of the study focuses on 150 SSLP areas from the first four rounds of SSLPs, which are all in deprived areas." - Page iii

Early years research and implications for policymaking: the UK experience

Why should we focus on the early years? One reason is the accumulation of evidence that indicates that the child\u27s experience in the early years has profound consequences for later life. There are now many studies that present a consistent picture indicating that adversity in early life, such as frequently accompanies child poverty, is linked to: poor adult mental and physical health , adult mortality, anti‐social and criminal behaviour, substance abuse and poor literacy and academic achievement