The landscape of users and providers of non-formal education (acronym: UP)
High-quality non-formal education is highlighted by both scientists and politicians as the most effective strategy of promoting equal opportunities from an early age. This entires ensuring not only a large enough offer of services, but also guaranteeing the adequate quality. Over the past 20 years, this field of education has undergone a rapid development, supported by legal measures targeting both quantity and quality. However, it is still marked by a lack of data and robust knowledge necessary for consistent analysis.
A systematic evaluation of administrative data, such as the data collected under the childcare service voucher scheme (chèque-service accueil) for children aged 0-12, is an essential step towards addressing these gaps. Analysing this data can provide valuable information on the users of the various offers and, at the same time, shed light on access opportunities within the field of non-formal education. Looking ahead, this offers a solid factual basis for tackling the challenges outlined in the thematic report SEA-Strukturen.
The UP project builds on methodologies previously applied in the ESICS and EVOSS projects. It draws on a combination of microdata from different sources: data from the chèque-service accueil, data related to approval (authorisation to operate as an education and childcare service, parental assistant or mini-crèche), and social security data, supplied by the IGSS. The project aims to describe the profiles of both users and providers, highlighting differences in supply and usage. This analysis will help to identify possible socio-economic or socio-spatial distribution models. Finally, the project aims to establish relevant indicators for monitoring the non-formal education sector, which is crucial for informed, evidence-based governance.
