Volume 15
VULNERABILITY AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN CHALLENGING CIRCUMSTANCES IN LAGOS STATE
ADEYEMI, Mutalib Oladele Ph.D, OSAYANDE, Victor Efe, JACKRICH, Ilamina Rachel & OKE, Abidemi Celia Ph.D
Abstract
Early childhood education (ECE) is a critical foundation for children's cognitive, language, and socio-
emotional development; however, access to quality ECE remains uneven for children living in vulnerable
circumstances. This study examined the impact of vulnerability on access to, participation in, and quality of early childhood education among preschool children in Lagos State, Nigeria. A descriptivestatistic research design was adopted, involving 180 participants comprising preschool children aged 3–5 years, their parents, and teachers drawn from public and private nursery schools across three local government areas representing diverse socio-economic contexts. Data were collected using structured parent questionnaires, a Language and Cognitive Development Checklist, and a Teacher Rating Scale, all of which demonstrated acceptable reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.79). Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, means, and standard deviations, were used for analysis. Findings revealed that low household income, food insecurity, inadequate learning materials, high preschool fees, and poor infrastructure constitute major barriers to vulnerable children's access to quality early learning environments. Results further indicated that vulnerability is associated with moderate levels of language, cognitive, and socio-emotional development, with socio-emotional outcomes being the most
adversely affected. The study concludes that socio-economic vulnerability continues to perpetuate educational inequality in early childhood in Lagos State. It therefore recommends holistic, equity-driven policy responses that integrate education, nutrition, teacher capacity development, and parental support to enhance inclusive and quality early childhood education for vulnerable children.
Keywords
Vulnerability, Socio-economic inequality, Preschool development, Poverty, Cognitive development
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