Education and Training Monitor 2023

Comparative report

Chapter 2. Early childhood education and care

2.1. Broadening participation

EU-level 2030 target: ‘At least 96% of children between 3 years old and the starting age for compulsory primary education should participate in early childhood education and care by 2030.’

Broadening the participation of children aged 3 and older in early childhood education and care (ECEC)⁷⁰ to near-universal levels increases the likelihood that underprivileged children are included too, for whom a strong start may diminish educational disadvantages in primary and later education⁷¹. The ambitious EU-level 2030 target of at least a 96% participation rate has now also been adopted as the revised Barcelona target for 2030 for children aged 3 and older (Box 8).

Box 8. The Barcelona targets for 2030

The Barcelona targets, first set in 2002 by the European Council, have been revised as part of the broader European Care Strategy. The main objective is to give everyone high-quality, accessible and affordable care. The 2022 Council Recommendation on early childhood education and care sets two new Barcelona targets for 2030, recommending that:

at least 45%⁷² of children under 3 participate in formal childcare⁷³;
at least 96%⁷⁴ of children between the age of 3 and the starting age for compulsory primary education participate in ECEC .

The recommendation focuses on qualitative aspects (such as affordability, accessibility, staff-child ratios, group sizes and the territorial distribution of care facilities), but also working conditions of staff. Its main aims are to ensure higher ECEC enrolment, to improve the social and cognitive development of vulnerable children in particular, and to increase parents’ labour market participation.

The EU average participation rate was 92.5% in 2021⁷⁵. Most EU countries have stagnated around participation rates above 90%⁷⁶. However, only six EU countries have reached the EU-level 2030 target of 96% or higher, and average EU progress is at a standstill, dropping half a percentage point from 2020. Looking at the 2013-21 trends (Figure 8), five outliers⁷⁷ emerge, with rates below 80% in 2021 and insufficient overall progress (Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Romania, and Slovakia)⁷⁸.

Figure 8. There are a few exceptions to the high average participation rates in ECEC.

Line chart showing the evolution of the share of children between age 3 and each country’s starting age for compulsory primary education participating in early childhood education between 2013 and 2021 for all the EU Member States and the EU average. The evolution of those countries where the share is below 80% in 2021 have been singled-out, as well as the EU average.

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In some countries, the challenge is to get the youngest children into ECEC. ECEC participation rates among 3-year-olds (2021) are particularly low in Romania (64.1%), Croatia (66.5%), Slovakia (66.6%), Luxembourg (67.9%), and Cyprus (68.2%)⁷⁹. Progress has been made in the case of the youngest children, with countries like Ireland, Cyprus, Lithuania, Poland, and Finland all recording a significant 2013-21 improvement. Nonetheless, the average EU ECEC participation rate of 3-year-olds (at 87.6% in 2021) has remained stable over the last 3 years.

Box 9. Examples from the country reports

Some EU countries undertake specific measures to enhance access to ECEC for disadvantaged groups or children who do not speak the language of instruction at home. For instance, in Sweden, municipalities must offer a place in ECEC to children who have lived in the country for a short time, even if their guardians have not applied for it. In Slovakia, the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) supports targeted measures to increase participation of children from disadvantaged backgrounds, including Roma children or children with disabilities. In Lithuania, as of 2022, participation in ECEC is mandatory for children from families at social risk.

At the same time, EU countries increasingly focus on developing the quality of ECEC services and on reducing regional differences. For instance, in Denmark, a new law on minimum standards for children-to-staff ratios will enter into force early 2024. In Greece, continuing professional development of ECEC staff has been reinforced. Its Institute of Educational Policy develops and organises training related to the novelties introduced in the ECEC curricula such as various ‘skills labs’ activities and teaching the English language. In Germany, the federal government continues supporting Länder in providing quality services, covering areas such as staff/child ratio, recruiting and retaining qualified staff, leadership, language education, and child development. In Lithuania, work on pre-school guidelines on the content of the programmes is underway.

Figure 9. Most EU countries record a multi-year ECEC gap.

Chart showing the period of time between a well-paid childcare leave ends and the time when a place is guaranteed in ECEC provision, either through a legal entitlement or compulsory education (wether ECEC or Primary) across the EU Member States. The gap, absent only in six EU Member States, is depicted as a blank space between the bar representing the length of the childcare leave and the bars for legal entitlement or compulsory education.

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To encourage participation in ECEC, EU countries can provide a legal entitlement to an ECEC place or make attendance compulsory. But the age at which children have a guaranteed place in ECEC varies a lot across the EU⁸⁰. When leave and ECEC policies are harmonised, a place in ECEC is guaranteed for every child at the end of leave (or even before)⁸¹, and no ECEC gap exists (Figure 9). In most EU education systems, however, families face a long period of time after adequately paid leave expires and before a child has a guaranteed place in ECEC⁸².

2.2. A closer look at staff

Educational value is a key aspect of ECEC across the EU⁸³. Indeed, the educational value of ECEC is widely acknowledged for children aged 3 and over, in contrast to that of ECEC for children under 3, which one third of EU countries view as childcare and do not provide educational guidelines for⁸⁴. Educational guidelines differ from country to country, but they often focus on developmental or learning goals and age-appropriate activities, sometimes in the form of a standard curriculum. It is ECEC professionals who ensure this educational aspect of ECEC provision is there as the main driver of quality in ECEC centres⁸⁵.

Figure 10. ECEC educators are predominantly female and younger than teachers at other levels of education.

Bar charts showing, on the left, the overall distribution of Pre-primay teachers by the combination of age and sex in the EU. The bar size for men are very small in all the age groups, but increases as the age groups decrease (except in the youngest group). On the right the bar chart shows the distribution of teachers by two age groups (45 cut-off point) by educational level in school education. Globally the distribution is balanced for all the educational levels, although for pre-primary is slightly in favour of young teachers whereas for the others the distribution is inverted (lower share of young teachers) and the imbalance grows with the educational level.

Source: Eurostat (UOE 2021).

Note: the distribution age and sex refers to teachers in pre-primary education in the EU.

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As Chapter 1 says, ECEC staff are predominantly female, even more so than at other levels of education, with only 4.4% male staff on average in 2021⁸⁶. They are also relatively younger than other teachers, with over half of them (54.2%) under 45 (Figure 10). And yet, nearly all EU countries⁸⁷ report that they (expect to) experience shortages of ECEC staff, either across the country or in specific regions, sometimes so acutely that services cannot be provided anymore. To tackle these issues, EU countries are working, often with the support of EU funds, on improving working conditions or on improving, expanding, or introducing more flexibility into training or pathways into the profession⁸⁸.

Figure 11. Qualification requirements are stricter for core staff and for those working with older children.

Pie charts showing the distribution of EU education systems according to the minimum qualification requirement (educational level) to enter ECEC profession by type of staff (core and assistants) and the age of children (under 3 years, 3 years or more), mostly Bachelor for core staff and Upper secondary for assistants.

Source: Eurydice 2023.

Note: the charts show the distribution of EU education systems according to the criteria in the legend.

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Staff skills and competences are linked to the quality of ECEC experiences. ECEC staff are increasingly expected to develop specific competences to deal, for instance, with technological advancement, multilingualism⁸⁹, or the integration of refugees and displaced children⁹⁰. Initial education requirements for ECEC professionals differ across EU countries and according to the age of the children (Figure 11). For core practitioners⁹¹ working with children aged 3 and over, most EU education systems require a bachelor’s qualification⁹², with four countries⁹³ requiring a master’s qualification. By comparison, for younger children, only 12 education systems⁹⁴ demand a bachelor’s or equivalent degree, whereas Portugal is the only country that requires a master’s degree.

In two thirds of EU countries, assistants work alongside ECEC educators⁹⁵. Qualification requirements for assistants are usually lower, with upper secondary education⁹⁶ being a minimum requirement, or no requirements at all⁹⁷.

Figure 12. Continuing professional development is a right or duty for most ECEC core staff working with children aged 3 and over.

Map showing the distribution of EU education systems according to the existence of structural reforms concerning ECEC core staff continuing professional development, wether it is mandatory, an entitlement, a professional duty, or optional. It is mandatory or an entitlement in a majority of EU education systems.

Source: Eurydice 2023.

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Countries continue to work on staff professionalisation. Several countries have introduced structural reforms of staff qualifications or continuing professional development⁹⁸, some with the help of EU funding and technical support⁹⁹. Professional development is available to core ECEC staff in most EU countries (Figure 12). Core practitioners working with children aged 3 and over are required to participate in a specified minimum amount of continuing professional development in half of EU education systems¹⁰⁰. Usually, 1 to 3 days of professional development a year are mandatory. In five ECEC systems¹⁰¹, core practitioners are entitled to a minimum amount of time to participate in professional development. For core practitioners working with younger children, fewer EU countries allot a specific amount of time to professional development¹⁰². Moreover, for assistants, continuing professional development is usually not required¹⁰³.

In a nutshell

Six EU countries (France, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, and Spain) have reached the EU-level 2030 target of 96% participation of children aged 3 and above in ECEC. But the EU average is stagnating, with the 2021 rate (92.5%) identical to the 2016-17 one. Participation remains low in five EU countries (Greece, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, and Bulgaria). In many EU countries, the ECEC gap (the amount of time between the end of adequately paid leave and a legal entitlement to ECEC) remains wide. Despite the challenges, EU countries increasingly focus on more than just access and affordability and try to also improve the quality of ECEC. Measures tend to focus on curricula or educational guidelines, minimum qualification levels for core practitioners, and teacher training. Almost all EU countries report severe staff shortages, often with large regional disparities.

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Notes

70.The OECD gives a recent analysis of ECEC systems around the world, including their staffing and financing, in Education at a Glance 2023.
71.The 2021 EU strategy on the rights of the child underlines how enrolment rates for children with disabilities, with a migrant background, and for Roma children are considerably lower. A 2022 report from the Fundamental Rights Agency mentions that only two out of five Roma children (44%) attend ECEC. The EU Roma framework calls on EU countries to narrow the gap between Roma and the general population by at least half for participation in ECEC. That means ensuring that at least 70% of Roma children attend ECEC by 2030.
72.Specific targets apply to EU countries that have yet to reach the 2002 goals. It is recommended that EU countries increase ECEC participation in relation to their respective current participation rates as follows: (1) by at least 90% for EU countries whose participation rate is under 20%; or (2) by at least 45%, or until they reach a participation rate of at least 45%, for EU countries whose current participation rate is between 20% and 33%. The current participation rate is calculated as the 2017-21 average participation rate in ECEC of children under 3.
73.This target is based on data from the EU statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC). EU-SILC survey data measure participation in any kind of ECEC, regardless of programme content. Using EU-SILC, it is possible to measure the participation of children both in programmes that are considered educational, and in programmes that are considered to offer only childcare (educational activities may still take place in childcare-only programmes, but they are not intentionally designed to support a child’s development with the help of, for example, a curriculum or trained teaching staff). In 2021, seven EU countries reported that national ECEC services for children under 3 could not be considered educational (with programmes designed to support a child’s development inexistent for children under 3).
74.This target is identical to the EU-level target for ECEC as part of the 2021 EEA strategic framework Resolution, using UOE administrative data. UOE administrative data measure participation in ECEC that is intentionally designed to support children’s cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional development and can therefore be classified as educational.
75.About two thirds concern public institutions (66.1%) and one third private institutions (33.9%). Monitor Toolbox
76.ECEC participation rates above 90% are found across 17 EU countries. Monitor Toolbox
77.Malta’s ECEC participation rates are also worth mentioning, with the biggest 2013-21 drop, albeit still well above 80% in 2021 (86.2%). Monitor Toolbox
78.Looking at the available regional data, particularly low ECEC participation rates are recorded in Croatia’s Panonska Hrvatska (61.9%), Slovakia’s Východné Slovensko (66.0%), and Romania’s Bucuresti – Ilfov (67.3%). [Monitor Toolbox] For further details about the regional dimension, see the 2023 Eurostat regional yearbook.
79.The 2020-21 ECEC participation rates for Greece are not available, but its 2019 ECEC participation rate among 3-year-olds stood at 34.9%. Monitor Toolbox
80.Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Finland, and Sweden guarantee a place in ECEC from an early age (6-18 months); the three Communities of Belgium, Czechia, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Hungary, Poland, and Portugal guarantee a place in publicly subsidised ECEC from age 3 or earlier. Pre-primary education is compulsory from age 4, 5 or 6 (during the last 1-2 years) in Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Austria, Romania, and Slovakia. See the 2023 Eurydice report.
81.Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Slovenia, Finland, and Sweden. See the 2023 Eurydice report.
82.The theoretical ECEC gap may equal up to 6 years. In practice, it may be 1 or 2 years, in which families face waiting lists and must choose between costly private ECEC or keeping children at home. Publicly subsidised ECEC may be available, albeit not as a legal entitlement, from around age 3 or 4.
83.See also the 2022 European Care Strategy.
84.The German-speaking Community of Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Greece, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Slovakia have no ECEC educational guidelines for the youngest children. See the 2023 Eurydice report.
85.See the 2019 Council Recommendation on high-quality ECEC systems. Other core principles governing the quality of ECEC revolve around accessibility and affordability, financing and governance, curricula and monitoring and evaluation.
86.Monitor Toolbox Male teachers are slightly more common in younger age categories, with only 3.1% men in the age group above 45, as opposed to 5.5% men among ECEC staff up to 45 years old.
87.Based on an ad hoc survey among the members of the EEA strategic framework Working Group on ECEC.
88.Based on an ad hoc survey among the members of the EEA strategic framework Working Group on ECEC.
89.See a 2023 NESET report on multilingualism.
90.See for example a 2023 OECD report on ECEC in the digital age, a 2023 UNICEF study on ECEC services for Ukrainian displaced children, and Box 13 in Section 3.3 with examples from the country reports.
91.A core practitioner is an individual tends to a group of children at the class or playroom level and works directly with children and their families. See the 2023 Eurydice report.
92.The three Communities of Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Finland, and Sweden. See the 2023 Eurydice report.
93.France, Italy, Poland, Portugal. See the 2023 Eurydice report.
94.Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, France, Croatia, Italy, Lithuania, Slovenia, Finland, and Sweden. See the 2023 Eurydice report.
95.An assistant is an individual who helps the core practitioner with a group of children or class on a daily basis. See the 2023 Eurydice report.
96.This is the case in the three communities of Belgium (except in the French Community of Belgium, where assistants in pre-primary schools are required to have an educational attainment of at least post-secondary non-tertiary level), Bulgaria, Germany, France, Cyprus, Hungary (except for settings for children under 3, where a minimum of secondary educational attainment is required), Malta, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, and Sweden. See the 2023 Eurydice report.
97.Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, and Luxembourg. See the 2023 Eurydice report.
98.For instance, Ireland, Italy, and Slovakia, are working on raising the minimum qualification requirement for staff working with children. In Finland, by 2030, a larger proportion of staff will be required to have a university degree. See the 2023 Eurydice report.
99.For instance, using the Technical Support Instrument, Austria and Cyprus are reforming staff framework conditions for better quality in ECEC.
100.French Community of Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, France, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, and Slovakia. See the 2023 Eurydice report.
101.The French Community of Belgium, Czechia, Germany, Lithuania, and the Netherlands. See the 2023 Eurydice report.
102.It is mandatory in the French Community of Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Latvia, Luxemburg, Hungary, Austria, Portugal, Romania, and Slovakia, but it is an entitlement in Germany and Lithuania. See the 2023 Eurydice report.
103.There are a few exceptions. Continuing profession development is mandatory for assistants in the French Community of Belgium, France (in ECEC for children aged 3 and over), Luxembourg, Slovenia, and Slovakia.

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