A new study co-authored by Dr. Anna Raute has found that whilst immigrant children and children from disadvantaged backgrounds benefit the most from early childcare, they were also less likely to attend at age three.
Although conducted for Germany, the study has important implications for a reform recently introduced in England that expanded free childcare for three and four year olds from 15 to 30 hours per week, but only for children of working parents.
The research, led by the Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM), based at University College London (UCL), will be published in the forthcoming Journal of Political Economy.
Dr. Anna Raute says: "Tying access to free childcare to mothers’ employment status, as recently implemented in England, may not draw those children into childcare who would benefit the most."