Research indicates that these disparities are not just a product of schooling but are evident as early as 9 months of age, with children from migrant, ethnic minority and low-income backgrounds facing the steepest barriers. To mitigate these early gaps, inclusion in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) has been a critical lever for fostering equity.
In this section, the STRIDE Toolbox offers state-of-the-art, evidence-based, interactive tools to inspire, guide, and inform ECEC policymaking, from problem identification to successful implementation, evaluation, and maintenance.
The policy cycle as a model is used to scrutinize each step of policy development, implementation and evaluation.
The national Cases are country cases that address early childhood educational inequality across five national contexts: Denmark, Norway, Hungary, Poland, and the UK.
Each case study provides a detailed analysis of different approaches to mitigating educational inequality using the policy cycle model as an analytical framework.
The comparative section provides further insights into early childhood education
policymaking.
It offers key policy and practice recommendations, organised across all the stages of the policy cycle framework and spanning international, national and local levels.
