Parental Choices and The Dynamics of Early Childhood Education and Care in Türkiye: Home-Based Ecec Or Institutional Ecec?

Öz

Early childhood education and care (ECEC), one of the core components of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, refers to organized and sustained services that support the learning, development, and well-being of children. The short- and long-term benefits of investing in ECEC have been widely emphasized in both academic literature and reports by international organizations. However, in Türkiye, ECEC policies and practices remain fragmented, regionally uneven, and institutionally weak. In this context, this paper aims to examine the dynamics shaping parents’ ECEC choices in Türkiye, whether institutional (preschool, daycare, nursery) or home-based (relatives or paid caregivers). Drawing on 600 surveys and 58 in-depth interviews, the findings reveal that parents’ decisions are shaped by an intersection of structural and cultural factors. Limited public capacity, high private costs, and inflexible work schedules push families toward home-based arrangements, while concerns over emotional security, developmental ‘readiness,’ and motherhood norms remain decisive in shaping their choices.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• child well-being
• early childhood education and care
• European Union
• EU social policy model
• ECEC
• home-based ECEC
• institutional ECEC
• SDG4

Türkiye’de Erken Çocukluk Eğitimi ve Bakımında Ebeveyn Tercihleri ve Dinamikleri: Ev mi Kurum mu?

Öz

Erken çocukluk eğitimi ve bakımı (EÇEB), Birleşmiş Milletler Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Amaçları’nın temel bileşenlerinden biri olup, doğumdan okul çağına kadar çocukların öğrenme, gelişim ve iyi oluşlarını destekleyen örgütlü ve sürekli hizmetleri ifade eder. EÇEB’e yapılan yatırımların kısa ve uzun vadeli faydaları hem akademik literatürde hem de uluslararası kuruluşların raporlarında geniş biçimde vurgulanmaktadır. Ancak Türkiye’de EÇEB politikası ve uygulamaları parçalı, bölgesel olarak dengesiz ve kurumsal açıdan yetersizdir. Bu bağlamda bu çalışma Türkiye’de ebeveynlerin EÇEB tercihlerini – kurumsal (anaokulu, gündüz bakım evi, kreş) ya da ev temelli (akraba veya ücretli bakıcı) – belirleyen dinamikleri ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır. 600 anket ve 58 derinlemesine görüşmeye dayanan bulgular, ebeveyn kararlarının yapısal ve kültürel etkenlerin iç içe geçtiği bir bağlamda şekillendiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Sınırlı kamu kapasitesi, yüksek özel ücretler ve esnek olmayan çalışma saatleri aileleri ev temelli çözümlere yöneltirken; duygusal güvenlik, gelişimsel ‘hazır oluş’ ve annelik normlarıyla ilişkili endişeler kararlarda belirleyici olmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• çocuk refahı
• erken çocukluk eğitimi ve bakımı
• Avrupa Birliği
• AB sosyal politika modeli
• EÇEB
• ev temelli EÇEB
• kurum-temelli EÇEB
• SKA4

Kaynakça

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