Is Quality Good Enough for Out-of-Home Care Children? Early Childhood Education and Care Experiences of Australian Children in Out-of-Home Care at Age 3 to 5 Years

Abstract

High quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) from age 3 may promote early learning, reduce vulnerability and narrow achievement gaps between children in care and their peers. Children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds have lower rates of participation in a formal early childhood program than children generally. However, little is known about the rate of ECEC attendance among children in out-of-home care (OHC); the type, amount and quality of service they experience as well as the factors that may create a barrier to access. This chapter reviews the available research on these issues and reports findings on the ECEC experiences of N = 60 children aged 3 to 5 years fro..