What do we want to know?
The integration of educational curricula with care is currently a topical issue in the field of early childhood provision, but there is considerable confusion about how and why integration should be pursued, and what works in what contexts. The review aims to address a topical policy issue in the UK, that is the research evidence on the impact on children and their parents of the integration of care and education in the early years.
Who wants to know?
Policy-makers, practitioner, parents.
What did we find?
All seven studies rated as reliable found that, broadly speaking, the impact of integrated care and education was beneficial for children, especially children from multi-risk families, and that early age of entry to such provision was advantageous. Nonetheless, there are considerable difficulties in generalising across settings.
What are the implications?
It is most likely that integrated childcare and education benefits children and their parents, in particular their mothers; but the evidence does not address the wider issues of setting up such provision - access, staffing, costs and other issues involved in the development of new services.
How did we get these results?
Nine studies were synthesised; these covered six countries and a range of social groups.
This summary was prepared by the EPPI Centre
This report should be cited as: Penn H, Barreau S, Butterworth L, Lloyd E, Moyles J, Potter S, Sayeed R (2004) What is the impact of out-of-home integrated care and education settings on children aged 0-6 and their parents? In: Research Evidence in Education Library. London: EPPI Centre, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London.