State Nurseries are Not for Us: The Limitations of Early Childhood Policies Beyond Price Barriers in Barcelona

Abstract

Access to early child education services has been proven to be an efficient tool in fighting educational inequalities. However, while wealthier families are likely to use childcare services, disadvantaged children tend to be left out. Research has explained this effect, known as Mathew Effect, and has studied both the constraints in the availability and affordability of childcare services, and the cultural norms surrounding motherhood. This paper aims to highlight other factors that also explain the Mathew Effect from a public policy perspective, beyond the economic barriers that limit access to formal childcare services. Through 34 interviews with mothers who have children between one and three years of age who attend both state and private nurseries in the city of Barcelona, we examine the characteristics of regulated childcare services and the objective factors of those mothers’ everyday lives in order to understand the decision-making processes involved in choosing childcare for the under-threes. The results indicate that sliding-scale pricing has allowed mothers with low incomes to access state nursery schools, while the quality of the services offered has served to attract the middle and upper classes. However, early childhood care services have not been adapted to the needs of working-class mothers who, although not being in a situation of social vulnerability, cannot afford private nurseries because of their high costs.