New research shows that attendance in early years settings was ‘lower than expected’ in areas with large ethnic minority populations, deprived neighbourhoods and areas with high unemployment rates.
According to ‘Implications of Covid for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in England’, the number of children attending ECEC in autumn 2021 dropped to 90 per cent of expected levels compared to pre-pandemic patterns.
The research has been carried out by the Centre for Evidence and Implementation, the University of East London, Fronter Economics, Coram Family and Childcare, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
