Supporting Participation in Early Childhood Education (SPiECE) of children from low socio-economic status backgrounds – a 2018-2022 research project

While government and non-government subsidies have increased the participation rates for children from low-income families, the cost of fees is not the only barrier to early childhood education (ECE) participation for low socio-economic status (SES) families. The purpose of the SPiECE research project was to gather evidence on the impact of non-fee interventions on ECE participation of preschool-aged children from low SES family backgrounds. To achieve this, the research team designed a community-based Professional Learning and Support (PLaS) intervention program comprising diverse support strategies for Centre Directors, School-based Preschool Principals, teachers and educators working in communities with higher-than-average rates of children with developmental vulnerability at the start of school as measured by the 2018 Australian Early Development Census (www.aedc.gov.au) and lower than average SES. The PLaS intervention program was designed to : increase educators' knowledge about how best to support families' efforts to enrol and maintain their children's participation in ECE, and enable them to initiate actions to provide the practical resources to do so. The PLaS comprised three components: (i) support visits and professional mentoring by members of the research team; (ii) a 4-module Professional Learning Program delivered by the research team on-site in each community; (iii) funding to resource centre/school or community initiatives to address locally identified barriers to ECE participation. A quasi-experimental design with a wait-list control group was used to implement and evaluate the intervention program in 19 preschool and long day care settings located in three low-SES communities in NSW. Qualitative and quantitative methods were applied to evaluate the PLaS intervention: (i) a comparison of enrolment/attendance patterns of 971 children aged 3- to 5-years in the Intervention and Control groups; (ii) a survey of 11 teachers and educators who participated in the 2019 program; (iii) end of project interviews with 13 Centre Directors/School Preschool Principals/Educational Leaders who participated in the 2019 or 2021 program. Although the COVID-19 pandemic limited our ability to fully evaluate the project, results provided strong evidence that the PLaS was: 1. responsive to the needs of families and their children in disadvantaged communities; 2. effective in promoting and improving the attendance of children; 3. attractive to and supportive of early childhood educators; and 4. financially cost-effective and sustainable. The combination of the service support/mentoring visits, professional learning, and funding of practical/professional resources was integral to the design and effectiveness of the intervention. The early establishment of trusting relationships with centre/school leaders and educators contributed to their continuing commitment to the project’s aims. Consequently, the evaluation feedback reflects the successful implementation of inclusive, locally relevant strategies and initiatives with positive outcomes for families’ engagement with, and children’s enrolment and attendance in, ECE programs in the year before school.