Bridging the Gap in Early Childhood Education and Care

Bridging the Gap in Early Childhood Education and Care

On 21 September 2026, Eurofound published the article “Bridging the gap: Inequalities in access to early childhood education and care”. The article highlights growing inequalities in access to early childhood education and care (ECEC) across Europe. While participation in ECEC has increased overall in recent years, the benefits are not being shared equally, with children at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) increasingly falling behind their peers.

The publication comes at a time when ECEC is high on the EU policy agenda, featuring prominently in initiatives such as the strengthened European Child Guarantee and the new strategic framework for the European Education Area 2026–2030. Both initiatives recognise that access to high-quality ECEC is essential for improving educational outcomes and tackling social disadvantage from an early age.

A key finding of the article is that, although ECEC participation rates have risen overall, the gap between children at risk of poverty or social exclusion and those who are not has widened. For children under the age of three, participation among disadvantaged children increased only slightly between 2016 and 2025, while participation among other children grew more rapidly. For children aged three and over, participation rates among those at risk of poverty or social exclusion actually declined during the same period.

According to Eurofound, these trends are particularly concerning because ECEC plays a crucial role in supporting children’s development, school readiness and future educational achievement. Improving access for children from vulnerable backgrounds is therefore seen as a key tool for reducing inequalities and preventing the long-term effects of poverty and social exclusion.

Looking ahead, the publication argues that future EU targets on ECEC participation should include specific monitoring of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Current indicators do not adequately capture the growing participation gap, making it more difficult to assess whether those most in need are benefiting from ECEC services

Eurofound article “Bridging the gap: Inequalities in access to early childhood education and care” available here.