From evidence to policy: What can early childhood education reforms teach us about reducing inequalities?
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Educational inequalities can emerge from the earliest years of life, shaping children’s learning opportunities and future outcomes. High-quality Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) can play an important role in addressing these inequalities. However, access to these services remains unequal across Europe, and expanding access alone does not guarantee that every child will benefit equally.
STRIDE (Strategies for Achieving Equity and Inclusion in Education, Training and Learning in Democratic Europe) examines educational inequalities across Europe and the policies designed to address them. The project brings together research and evidence to support policymakers, civil society and education stakeholders in working towards more equitable and inclusive education and training systems.
As a core partner in STRIDE, the Lifelong Learning Platform works to make the project’s research findings accessible to policymakers, civil society and education stakeholders, helping evidence inform discussions on equity and inclusion in education and training.
Two recent STRIDE publications bring together evidence on early childhood education from complementary perspectives. A new working paper compares reforms in five European countries and examines the conditions that influence their implementation and outcomes. Building on research from the same countries, a new policy brief translates the evidence into recommendations for the development, implementation and evaluation of early childhood education policies.
Five countries, different approaches to early childhood education
The STRIDE working paper, “Overcoming inequality in early childhood education and care: A comparative analysis of five European countries”, compares reforms introduced in England, Poland, Hungary, Norway and Denmark.
The five countries adopted different approaches. England introduced the Sure Start programme, bringing together education, health and family support services for children living in disadvantaged communities. Poland expanded preschool education by increasing the number of places and improving affordability. Hungary introduced compulsory kindergarten attendance from age three, while Norway provided free kindergarten hours for children from low-income families. Denmark introduced nationwide language assessments to identify children’s learning needs before compulsory schooling.
Despite these different approaches, the reforms shared a common objective: improving opportunities for children by strengthening early childhood education and care.
The comparison shows that increasing access is only one part of addressing educational inequalities. Quality, affordability, accessibility and targeted support for disadvantaged children all influence whether reforms achieve their intended outcomes. Simply creating more places does not automatically ensure that every child benefits equally.
The research also highlights the importance of long-term political commitment, sustainable funding and effective implementation. Local conditions, family engagement and cooperation between education and other public services can influence whether policies have a lasting impact.
Rather than identifying a single model applicable across countries, the working paper highlights the importance of learning from diverse national experiences. Early childhood education policies do not operate in isolation: their success is connected to wider social policies, available resources and the ability to ensure that support reaches the children and families who need it most.
The full paper is available for download on the publications page of the STRIDE website and on Zenodo (DOI:10.5281/zenodo.20444002).
From research findings to policy recommendations
Building on research from the same five countries, the STRIDE policy brief, “Early Childhood Education Policy to mitigate inequalities in educational outcomes: The Path to Educational Equity”, presents recommendations for policy development, implementation and evaluation.
One of its key recommendations is to identify communities that are not reached by standard early childhood education services. The policy brief recommends using local data to identify specific neighbourhoods and groups facing barriers, and to strengthen direct outreach to marginalised families.
Families also have an important role in policy development. Parents should be involved as informed partners rather than passive recipients of services. Their involvement can help policies respond to community needs and build local trust.
Connecting services and supporting implementation
The policy brief highlights the value of connecting early childhood education with other services, including health and family support. England’s Sure Start programme provides one example of this approach. The findings also stress the importance of continuity between early childhood education and primary school to help maintain gains made during the early years.
Implementation remains an important challenge. Educator shortages and high staff turnover can limit the capacity of early childhood education systems to reduce inequalities. The policy brief recommends sustained investment in competitive salaries and high-quality training, alongside standards that support consistent implementation.
Accessibility is also important. Physical distance can create barriers for marginalised families. Locating services within disadvantaged areas and using direct outreach can help reach families who may otherwise remain excluded.
Long-term funding and political commitment also matter. The policy brief recommends protecting programmes through national legislation and integrating successful initiatives into municipal budgets and governance structures. This can help initiatives move beyond temporary project status towards permanent service delivery.
Learning from evidence
Effective evaluation depends on reliable, long-term information. The policy brief highlights the importance of longitudinal data and access to information across education, health and family support services.
It also recommends greater exchange of evidence between countries. Sharing findings from both successful and unsuccessful initiatives can help policymakers learn from previous experiences and avoid repeating costly mistakes before implementing reforms on a larger scale.
Together, the working paper and policy brief connect comparative research with policy recommendations. The working paper examines different national experiences and the conditions that shape reforms, while the policy brief draws on this evidence to support policy development, implementation and evaluation.
Both publications reinforce an important message: expanding access to early childhood education is important, but access alone is not enough. Quality, affordability, targeted support, adequate resources, family involvement, effective implementation and long-term commitment all play a role in working towards more equitable educational opportunities.
The full paper is available for download on the publications page of the STRIDE website and on Zenodo (DOI:10.5281/zenodo.21624136).
Explore STRIDE’s research and resources.
STRIDE continues to develop research and policy resources to support more equitable and inclusive education and training systems across Europe.
Education stakeholders, policymakers, researchers and civil society organisations can explore STRIDE’s publications and follow the project’s work to learn more about its research findings, policy recommendations and upcoming activities.
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