Description:
On 8 October 2009 Eva Lloyd gave a seminar presentation at the Royal Docks Business School at UEL as part of the comparative study she is undertaking of recent childcare market developments in England and The Netherlands. The presentation's title was: 'Childcare markets in England and The Netherlands.' It was the first time she shared emerging data from this study with colleagues.
With support from the Royal Docks Business School at UEL Eva Lloyd is researching the impact of childcare market developments in the two countries over the last decade. In recent years both countries have passed legislation explicitly promoting the marketisation and privatisation of childcare provision for young children. In England the role of market forces has been made more prominent by means of the Childcare Act 2006, while in The Netherlands this has been done by means of the 2005 Wet op de Kinderopvang. This situation contrasts with that in many other OECD countries, notably those in the EU, where early childhood education and care provision is not governed by market principles, but is predominantly publicly funded. While pursuing similar childcare policy objectives, England and The Netherlands employed contrasting strategies to encourage the childcare market. Emerging evidence suggests national differences in the intended and unintended consequences of these developments.