Early Years

Lucinda Platt has recently completed a paper on the relationship between centre-based child care and the development of children’s non-cognitive skills [Morando, G. and Platt, L. (2022). The impact of centre-based childcare on non-cognitive skills of young children. Economica. Online first: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecca.12440]. This relates to long-standing interest in children’s development of skills throughout childhood. For example, she has examined the development of young disabled children’s cognitive and non-cognitive skills [Fauth, B., Platt, L. and Parsons, S. 2017. ‘The development of behavior problems among disabled and non-disabled children in England.’ Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. 52: 46-58; Parsons, S. and Platt, L. (2017) ‘The early academic progress of children with special educational needs.’ British Educational Research Journal, 43 (3): 466–485], and she has co-authored reports for DfE and for Public Health England on young children’s educational and other outcomes [Borrell-Porta, M., Cooper, K., Costa Font,J., Orsini, C., Ozcan, B. & Platt, L. (2018). Children’s wellbeing and development outcomes for ages 5, 7, and 11, and their predictors. A report for Public Health England.  Available at: http://www.lse.ac.uk/social-policy/research/research-reports/Childrens-Wellbeing-and-Development-Outcomes-for-Ages-5-7-and-11-and-their-Predictors; Jones, E., Gutman, L. and Platt, L. (2013) Family Stressors and Children’s Outcomes. Department for Education Research Report DFE-RR254, January 2013].

Anne West has a longstanding interest in early years education (and care). Her most recent publication focuses on characteristics of funding, provision and regulation of early years education and care that are associated with effective social investment. This comparative research focused on England, France and Germany. Anne has also carried out historical research on legislation, ideas and pre-school education policy; on the funding of early years education and care in England; and on proposals for early years education and care reform and policy transfer, and recent early years education and care in England (both led by Jane Lewis). Anne has also carried out research on nursery education and reducing social inequalities, published by the Conseil national d’évaluation du système scolaire (Cnesco)

Recent publications

West, A., Blome, A. and Lewis, J. (2020) What characteristics of funding, provision and regulation are associated with effective social investment in ECEC in England, France and Germany? Journal of Social Policy, 49, 4, 681-704.

West, A. (2020) Legislation, ideas and pre-school education policy in the twentieth century: From targeted nursery education to universal early childhood education and care, British Journal of Educational Studies, 68, 5, 567-587.

West, A. and Noden, P. (2019) ‘Nationalising’ and Transforming the Public Funding of Early Years Education (and care) in England 1996–2017, British Journal of Educational Studies, 67, 2, 145-167.

Lewis, J. and West, A (2018) “Learning from others”:   English proposals for early years’ education and care reform and policy transfer from France and the Netherlands, 2010-2015, Social Policy and Administration, 52, 677–689. 

Lewis, J. and West, A. (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, 331-348.

West, A. (2016) ‘L’école maternelle à la source de la réduction des inégalités sociales: une comparaison internationale’ Paris: Conseil national d’évaluation du système scolaire (Cnesco). http://www.cnesco.fr/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/west_solo_fr1.pdf English version: Nursery education and reducing social inequalities: An international comparison. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/67918/

Across the OECD the last two decades have seen a broad expansion of early childhood education and care (ECEC) provision. Sam Mohun Himmelweit’s research has examined this expansion in comparative perspective, with a focus on understanding and explaining variation in this expansion among ‘latecomer’ reformers: countries that have expanded provision in this area since the 1990s. Sam’s empirical research has focused on England and Germany, conducting document analysis and in-depth interviews with policymakers and politicians. His analysis focuses on the role of ideas in policymaking. For example, a recently published paper argues that the extent to which arguments in favour of ECEC expansion were broad enough to attract support from across traditional political cleavages can help explain variation in the extent and momentum of ECEC reform across four ‘latecomer’ reformers: England, Germany, Japan and South Korea. 

References:

Mohun Himmelweit, S & Lee, S-H (2022) ‘Ideas, Coalition Magnets and Policy Change: Comparing Variation in Early Childhood Education and Care Policy Expansion across Four Latecomer Countries’. Government and Opposition, 1-20. doi:10.1017/gov.2022.35.

Mohun Himmelweit, S and Lee, S-H (2021) ‘Work-Family Policy Expansion and the Idea of Social Investment: the cases of England, Germany, Japan and South Korea’, in Choi, Y-J, Fleckenstein, T & Lee, S C (eds) Welfare Reform and Social Investment Policy in Europe and East Asia: International Lessons and Policy Implications. Bristol, Policy Press, 27-60.

Kitty Stewart has had a long-standing interest in inequalities as they affect young children. Her work focuses on both family income and on the role of early years services including early childhood education and care (ECEC). One strand of her recent work examines the way that policy operates in England (both intentionally and inadvertently) to reduce or widen gaps in access to high quality early years services. Kitty is Associate Director of the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE) and more on her projects can be found here.

Recent books and articles include:

K Stewart, T Campbell and L Gambaro (2019) ‘The peer composition of pre-school settings in England and early recorded attainment among low-income children,’ British Journal of Sociology of Education. 6 April 2019, pp.1-25.

T Campbell, L Gambaro and K Stewart (2018) ‘“Universal” early education: who benefits? Patterns in take-up of the entitlement to free early education among three-year-olds in England.’ British Educational Research Journal, 44(3): 515-538.

L Gambaro, K Stewart and J Waldfogel (2015) ‘A question of quality: Do disadvantaged children in England receive lower quality early childhood education and care?’ British Educational Research Journal. 41 (4). pp. 553-574

L Gambaro, K Stewart and J Waldfogel (eds) (2014) An Equal Start: Providing Quality Early Education and Care for Disadvantaged Children. Bristol: The Policy Press.

Recent working papers and policy reports include:

K Stewart and M Reader (2021) ‘The Conservatives’ record on early childhood from May 2015 to pre-Covid 2020: Policies, spending and outcomes,’Social Policy and Distributional Outcomes Research Paper No 8, LSE: Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion.

K Stewart and J Waldfogel (2017) Closing Gaps Early: The role of early years policy in promoting social mobility in England. London: The Sutton Trust.

K Stewart and P Obolenskaya (2015) ‘The Coalition’s record on the Under Fives: Policy, spending and outcomes 2010-2015’, Social Policy in a Cold Climate Working Paper No 12, LSE: Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion.

K Stewart and L Gambaro (2014) World Class: What does international evidence tell us about improving quality, access and affordability in the English childcare market. London: The Resolution Foundation.