Investigating spatial variations in access to childcare provision using network‐based Geographic Information System models

Abstract

A “flagship” policy outlined in the current Welsh Government's 2016 Programme for Government aims to provide 30 hours of free early education and childcare per week to the working parents of three‐ and four‐year‐olds. However, in common with many other countries, there is currently a lack of detail regarding existing levels of childcare provision that can act as a benchmark with which to examine the impacts of this policy. This article addresses an urgent need to understand current levels of provision at detailed geographical scales so as to provide an accurate picture of early childhood education and care across Wales. By drawing on Geographic Information System network models we compare the spatial distribution of providers with that of potential demand arising from those population groups targeted in the childcare offer. These provide a simple to understand supply‐to‐demand ratio that overcome the limitations of ratios derived for arbitrary administrative boundaries. The types of map‐based outputs that emanate from such an approach are demonstrated to provide more insights into spatial patterns of accessibility to current levels of childcare provision. These have guided the choice of pilot studies that will inform the roll out of the full childcare offer by the Welsh Government in 2020.

Rural-urban differences in the mental health of perinatal women: a UK-based cross-sectional study

“…This suggests that other factors may exist that account for those differences. Some of those possible factors may not have been captured in our survey and include, as previously noted, greater expenditure with transport, poorer transport infrastructure and longer travel times [35], fewer options for childcare provision (other than a children's centre) [36] or to attend antenatal and postnatal groups. Additional reasons may be a lack of stimulating activities and distance to amenities such as shops, church/temple or college [37], or to the gym, cinema or coffee shops, which can facilitate social interaction [38].…”

Using Geographic Information Systems to investigate variations in accessibility to ‘extended hours’ primary healthcare provision

“…In this approach, however, the ratio is computed using a ‘floating catchment’ which, while acknowledging that there is a limit on how far patients travel to access health facilities, also recognises that those surgeries closer to a patients’ home within the catchment are more likely to be used than those towards the periphery, that is, there is a distance‐decay effect which weights points within the catchment based on geographical proximity. A detailed rationale and description of each stage are provided in Langford, Higgs, and Dallimore (). In summary, the first step involves implementing a floating catchment around each surgery and calculating a GP supply to population ratio for each surgery based on a 15‐min travel time catchment area (i.e.…”

“…Travel times and catchment areas between population demand locations and GP surgery sites in Wales were computed using a detailed open‐source road network data set (OS Open Roads TM ). All analyses were performed using an E2SFCA plug‐in developed using the Network Analyst tool in ArcMap TM 10.3 (Langford, Higgs, & Fry, ).…”

Disparity in Spatial Access to Public Daycare and Kindergarten across GIS-Constructed Regions in Seoul, South Korea

“…The method is conceptually appealing because it regards capacity restrictions as well as local competitions while allowing for cross-border service-seeking behavior [16]. Due to these analytical advantages, 2SFCA is recently applied to analyze the spatial accessibility of daycare and kindergarten [15,16]. The method is convenient to implement in a GIS environment, and its result can be intuitively interpreted as the supply-demand ratio [27].…”