Early childhood education and care in England under austerity: continuity or change in political ideas, policy goals, availability, affordability and quality in a childcare market?

Lewis, Jane and West, Anne ORCID: 0000-0003-2932-7667 (2017) Early childhood education and care in England under austerity: continuity or change in political ideas, policy goals, availability, affordability and quality in a childcare market? Journal of Social Policy, 46 (2). pp. 331-348. ISSN 0047-2794

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Abstract

Provision of early childhood education and care (ECEC) in England is highly marketised. Since 2010, when the Labour Party lost power to a Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition, followed by a Conservative victory in 2015, there has been a strong austerity agenda. It is therefore surprising that ECEC has continued to be supported and expanded. However, we show that policies to address the three key issues of availability, affordability and quality have undergone significant incremental change in response to shifting emphases between the two main goals of increasing children's development and mothers' employment, together with a much firmer orientation towards the importance of growing the childcare market.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJourna...
Additional Information:	© 2016 Cambridge University Press
Divisions:	Social Policy
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform L Education > L Education (General)
Date Deposited:	17 Aug 2016 11:05
Last Modified:	25 Apr 2024 06:48
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/67492

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