After analysing early years education across several countries, The Sutton Trust has published research that now highlights the risks involved with the Government’s proposal to expand Early Years in England.
Unsuprisingly, the report indicates that the planned changes to staff ratios will significantly impact the quality of care provided, and further impact the outcomes of children from disadvantaged backgrounds for the worst.
The Sutton Trust then compared the affordability and cost of early years education for low-income families in England and other countries, taking into account the current Government funding, in addition to the planned funded provisions.
The cost of 30 hours early years education for a family of two in England, earning a combined income of around £16,500 with two young children aged two and three; equates to 8% of their income if they do not meet eligibility criteria for additional funded provision.
The research also discovered that many disadvantaged two-year-olds are not enrolled in the existing offer. There are also concerns about the quality of provision on offer, with the amount of funding given to providers for the 15 and 30 hour entitlements being lower than the cost to settings to provide those hours, impacting upon early years businesses and staffing subsequently.
To read more of the findings from this research, click here.