Profs. Joshi & Ha Co-Edit Special Issue on Equitable Early Childhood Education
Profs. Pamela Joshi and Yoonsook Ha from BU School of Social Work (BUSSW), along with four other experts in the field, co-edited a special issue of Early Childhood Research Quarterly focused on how to make early childhood education (ECE) equitable and accessible. While many families struggle to find and afford quality child care, some face greater barriers, including Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and low-income families, non-English speakers, families with children with disabilities, and those experiencing homelessness. This special issue identifies where these gaps are, why they exist, and how to address them, including:
- Barriers to access: families often struggle to find ECE that fits their multiple needs due to cost, limited availability, or lack of culturally appropriate care.
- Measuring access beyond enrollment: instead of just counting how many children are enrolled, researchers highlight the need to consider affordability, quality, and whether programs truly meet families and children’s needs.
- Policy impact: improvements to state and local policies, like child care subsidies and pre-K programs. Innovative practices that reduce administrative burden and foster proactive learning environments that are free of deficit assumptions about children and families have helped increase access, but gaps remain, especially for marginalized communities.
- Provider challenges: child care providers, especially those serving underserved groups, face funding shortages, staffing issues, and administrative hurdles. Studies show that reducing red tape and offering tailored approaches—like providing trauma-informed care—can improve access.
- Solutions and next steps: researchers emphasize the need for better policies, stronger funding, and data-driven approaches that address structural barriers and ensure that high-quality early education is available to all children, regardless of their background.
Joshi is a research professor at the Institute for Equity in Child Opportunity & Healthy Development at BUSSW. Dr. Ha is an Associate Professor at BUSSW.