Mandatory learning programme—An offer you can't refuse. Political problem representations and parents' perspectives

Abstract This article focuses on a Danish study of an early childhood intervention that targets young minority ethnic children and their parents. The intervention, termed ‘mandatory learning programme’ is an example of current European policies that endeavour to support young children's learning as key to enhancing their future school performance and fighting inequality and marginalisation. This study employs document analysis and ethnographic methods to examine the political representations of the problems targeted by the intervention and to investigate how the intervention affects parents' everyday lives. The findings reveal that the parents involved in the intervention find it challenging to maintain their engagement in education and work; hence concluding, the intervention risks enhancing exclusion from society, despite its aim to prevent exactly that.