Education and Childcare Policies. An Overview of the Spanish Case

Abstract

The aim of this study is to present a contribution on how these policies for child-hood have been carried out in the case of Spain, despite the fact that “to speak of childhood and child education is to place ourselves in a complex context of necessities, interests and demands from children, families and society” (Sánchez, 2008: 76-77). To this end, we use some indicators that reflect the expansion of child-hood policies, especially educational ones, although they differ depending on the age range considered (less than three or between three and six) and there is, therefore, a limited provision of educational and social policies of attention and care for children younger than three and their families. In some sections, the information is analyzed with regard to the European context, since the development of care services for early infancy is a political priority in the European Union. This article is structured in three sections. In the first, an overview is given of the development of childcare in Spain, centring on the duality between family and school, and showing how such care for the child population differs according to the age range considered. The second section deals with a number of key elements to be considered concerning the demand for public policies on childcare. Some alternative strategies are then described, given the lack of care policies. Finally, the conclusions occupy the last section.