Barriers to access early childhood education (0-3 years) for families at social risk: An analysis of family and professional discourses in five Spanish metropolitan areas

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. It is well recognized that children from "vulnerable" family backgrounds participate less in quality early childhood education and care (ECEC), including in Spain. The objective of the article is to examine the barriers faced by families at social risk or in a situation of poverty for the enrollment of their children from 0 to 3 years old in the first cycle of ECEC in Spain, based on a broader policy-oriented project. METHOD. A qualitative study has been implemented in 2019 in five localities / metropolitan areas: Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, ​​the Basque Country and Seville. We have carried out semi-structured interviews with 35 families and discussion groups or group interviews with 40 technical, key informants. The data collected have been transcribed and analyzed within a qualitative-inductive analytical logic, in particular following the thematic analysis outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006). RESULTS. A wide range of factors are identified that prevent access to ECEC 0-3 in Spain, including organizational-bureaucratic, ideological, financial, and those related to the issue of mobility and the protection system. In addition, it shows the different importance these barriers have according to the socioeconomic level of the families. DISCUSSION. Our results coincide with other investigations and reviews in the organization of barriers into different categories, despite the differences in the way they are categorized. Our analysis furthermore suggests a more complex relationship between these elements, especially in relation to the socio-economic circumstances of the families.