Cultural capital, economic capital, and participation in early childhood education: A place-based approach

Early childhood educational development (ECED) is increasingly recognized as a crucial period for human development. We studied the relation of cultural capital, economic capital, and participation in center-based ECED at a local level. We used a high-quality national database, collecting data from 103 Italian provinces. Choropleth maps, structural equation modeling (SEM), and mediation analysis were adopted to assess the effect of cultural and economic capital on participation in ECED. We employed multi-sample SEM to assess geographical disparities at a regional level. We found that Central Italian provinces present the highest level of cultural capital, as well as the highest rate of participation in ECED. Cultural capital, but not economic capital, is associated with participation in ECED in the short and medium term. At least in part, cultural capital can mediate a historical effect played by the economic capital or by the cultural capital itself. Together, these results highlight the importance of investing in cultural capital, as it may also foster the development and rate of participation in center-based ECED. This may mitigate the effect of social disparities and economic inequalities on education.