Glossary:Children in formal childcare or education
The new European Care Strategy, presented in 2022, included, among other recommendations to the Member States, the need to revise the Barcelona targets. In this framework, the Council adopted the Council Recommendations on early childhood education and care: the Barcelona targets for 2030 (2022/C 484/01):
- at least 45% of children below the age of three participate in early childhood education and care. (Specific targets apply to Member States that have yet to reach the 2002 goals.)
- at least 96% of children between the age of three and the starting age for compulsory primary education should participate in early childhood education and care.
New indicator on children in formal care or education
Following the Council Recommendation of 8 December 2022 on early childhood education and care, in 2023 Eurostat defined a new indicator for measuring ‘Children in formal childcare or education by age group and duration’, setting the threshold for the number of hours in formal childcare or education at 25 hours per week, and breaking the indicator down by the at risk of poverty or social exclusion status (ilc_caindform25) and by income quintile (ilc_caindform25q). In addition, the age breakdown contains the following groups:
- Less than 3 years
- From 1 to 2 years
- From 3 years to minimum compulsory school age
- From one year after compulsory school age to 12 years.
The former indicator used to monitor the Barcelona targets defined in 2002, children in formal childcare or education, is still produced and published by Eurostat. It should be noted that the threshold for the number of hours in formal childcare or education was set in 30 hours, and the age groups defined were: less than 3 years; from 3 years to minimum compulsory school age and From minimum compulsory school age to 12 years.