Accessibility of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) for children from ethnic minority and low-­income families.

This background paper wishes to inform participants of the first meeting of the Transatlantic Forum on Inclusive Early Years to be held in Ghent in January 2013. It gives a concise summary of what we know regarding the issue of access to high quality education and care provisions for immigrant families and families living in poverty with children of preschool age. As early childhood systems vary substantially from one country to another, no general formulas can be given. However, this paper also draws on analyses of successful projects to outline possible ways forward. The paper draws to a large extent on an extensive literature review of European research and policy documents, that was commissioned by the European Commission DG Education and Culture and published as Lazzari, A., & Vandenbroeck, M. (2012). Literature Review of the Participation of Disadvantaged Children and families in ECEC Services in Europe. In J. Bennett (Ed.), Early childhood education and care (ECEC) for children from disadvantaged backgrounds: Findings from a European literature review and two case studies, Study commissioned by the Directorate general for Education and Culture. Brussels: European Commission.