Nearly all European Union countries have well-established systems of nursery education or kindergartens. In France, Belgium and Italy universal provision on demand has been achieved while in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Spain and Finland it has been made a political objective for the next few years. Even Portugal, one of the poorest member states, has made rapid progress.

Most countries cater for three to six-year-olds (compulsory schooling across the Channel tends to start at six or later), with children attending for at least the equivalent of the British school day. In the Nordic countries, kindergartens are open throughout the year and for a full working day.

All Continental countries (except Luxembourg) have also introduced statutory parental leave, giving parents the right to take time off work after maternity leave. In some countries, parents have the option to work reduced hours.

Where, as in the Nordic countries, parental leave has been supported the trend has been for children to enter the early childhood services at later ages. Denmark has introduced up to a year’s paid leave for each parent. This is linked with a commitment to provide a publicly-funded place for all children over 12 months by 1996 on the assumption that children will be at home in their first year.

The UK stands in clear contrast. We have no parental leave, not even a weak entitlement. Compulsory schooling starts at an early age, and, with the Netherlands and Ireland, the UK is the only country to admit children to primary school before compulsory schooling.

Nursery education expansion has been slow and fitful, based on a part-time shift system of attendance. There is little stability of experience for three to four-year-olds; many move from playgroup to nursery class to reception class in 18 months. Last, but not least, the UK, with Ireland and the Netherlands - both of which have little or no nursery education - are the only countries with an extensive playgroup network. And these playgroups are distinguished by short hours of attendance and chronic under-resourcing.

Where the UK observer may feel on more familiar ground is the divide between “education” and “day care” for young children. This conceptual divide, also found in many Continental countries, creates incoherence and inequality.

Some UK local authorities have sought to integrate all their early childhood services. Unfortunately, this has never been matched by national government, whose recent actions (including the Children Act and the initiative on four-year-olds in nursery education) have failed to question this divide.

A few European countries have however tackled this crucial issue. The Nordic countries have developed integrated, coherent and increasingly comprehensive early childhood services, in which services for children under compulsory school age are the responsibility of one department, nationally and locally. There is a common framework of law, costs and funding, staff training and pay and objectives in working with children.

In Denmark, this approach has led to a rapid growth in “age-integrated centres” taking children from babyhood through to six or seven years. Denmark also illustrates how an integrated system does not mean standardisation. Not only is there a mix of services and management (local authorities and private, non-profit organisations), but decision making is strongly decentralised.

The Nordic model, however, has made “social welfare” departments providers of universal services. For countries such as Spain with an established education presence in early childhood services, this welfare model is less relevant.

Spain set out in 1990 to reform the whole education system - from birth to 18. From birth to six years was recognised as the first stage and made the responsibility of education authorities Teacher training became the basic qualification for working with these children. In short, Spain has created a framework for an integrated early childhood service, but within the education system and based on the premise that learning does not start at three and that care and education for young children are inseparable.

Spain has a long way to go to achieve the established integrated system found in the Nordic countries. Implementation varies considerably from region to region and money is a constant source of contention. However, the country has created a basis for sound development; the need for an integrated “early childhood service” has been recognised and incorporated into policy. Moreover, and this is a highly relevant lesson, this reform was based on years of public discussion, negotiation and experimentation. The contrast with the sorry history of neglect and short-termism in UK policy is striking.

Peter Moss is senior researcher at the Thomas Coram Research Unit in London.