{
  "abstract": "Background In diverse 21st century UK urban landscapes in the context of policy led expansion of ECEC, our study uncovers the shifting dynamics of access to these services. Our project is part of UKPRP-funded ‘ActEarly’ programme, a research-practice collaboration investigating how to promote a ‘healthier, fairer future’ for children in inner-city areas in London and Yorkshire. Our work is based on collaborative approaches with communities, practitioners and policy makers, where discussions are guided by knowledges of everyday life, so that local programmes can be more responsive to local needs.Methods Our project builds on family research, childhood studies, and social policy to interrogate commonly held assumptions about take up of ECEC places from a parenting culture perspective. We explored how to improve ECEC access for preschool-aged children in London Borough of Tower Hamlets through multi-methods, using mapping techniques, interviews with ECEC providers, alongside focus groups, interviews and dream workshops co-designed with parents attending four children’s centres.Results ECEC uptake has long varied by social class and maternal education (OECD Family Database, Simon et al 2015), with prior research suggesting ‘personal preference’ as a factor in low uptake of ‘free childcare’ (Johnes and Hutchinson 2016, Huskinson et al 2016, Albakri et al 2018, Owen 2020). However, our research participants, mostly from minoritised ethnic communities, expressed strong systemic trust in institutional ECEC settings like children’s centres and nurseries. They valued ECEC for supporting children’s well-being and future prospects, as well as for parental employment and family support. In east London, our study confirms that exclusionary barriers to ECEC remain (Outhwaite et al 2024) despite provision. These barriers, such as cost, lack of spaces, location, and services not aligning with parents’ needs, limit access more than personal preferences. Our findings highlight the need for a more comprehensive ECEC framework to improve the well-being of children, families, and communities.Conclusion We will conclude with an overview of the legacy of ActEarly on local research-practice collaborations addressing child wellbeing in urban areas, and discuss the importance of smaller-scale, in-depth studies that enable nuanced perspectives which can be missed in broader, national-level research. We explore how localised findings can help shape national policy discussions and ensure these align with lived experiences and needs of urban families.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Social Research Institute, University College London, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Claire Cameron"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Social Research Institute, University College London, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Deniz Arzuk"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Clinical Effectiveness Group, Queen Mary University, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Natalia Concha"
    }
  ],
  "title": "P16 Shifting parental perceptions in early childhood education and care (ECEC): experiences from diverse urban communities",
  "uid": "2ddb72f5-64fa-588c-9aec-e8cd2ffe6354"
}