Toward Universalizing Early Childhood Education in Spain

<p class="ql-align-justify">This article examines the challenges and progress in achieving more equal access and a gradual move toward the universalization of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services in Spain, with a focus on the First Cycle (Primer Ciclo) of <em>Educación Infantil</em>, which targets children aged 0–3. Quality interventions at this stage are crucial for holistic child development, promoting gender equality, and addressing the ongoing care crisis. To this end, recent developments in ECEC policy are reviewed and analyzed, highlighting the role of early education in mitigating social inequalities and the gradual expansion of publicly funded care services. Despite notable advances, significant disparities persist, especially among large families, single-parent households (predominantly headed by women), and groups facing economic vulnerability, migration-related barriers, or ethnic discrimination. These gaps reflect deeper structural gender inequalities rooted in the sexual division of reproductive labor and the unequal distribution of care responsibilities. Building on this, the article advocates for comprehensive public policies aimed at universalizing access, improving service quality, and promoting decent employment in the care sector. The establishment of Spain’s first National Care Strategy in 2022 marks a significant step toward cross-sector collaboration and a feminist transformation of care policy, articulated around the 5Rs of care (Recognize, Reduce, Redistribute, Reward, Represent) and aimed at advancing the defamilialization and defeminization of care provision through greater state involvement. Ultimately, the article calls for sustained political commitment to expanding equitable and high-quality ECEC as a social right and a pillar of social justice and the welfare state.</p>