Security-first thinking and educational practices for young children in foster care in Sweden and England: A think piece

•Little research exists about young fostered children and their education.•Fewer fostered children attend centre based early childhood education.•Attachment theory focus may have led to ‘security first’ thinking by foster carers•Foster carers are often carrying out educational practices in their homes.•A large scale study of foster carers’ educational roles and their impacts is needed. While the education of looked after children has attracted considerable policy attention in Europe and North America, and globally the early education of preschool aged children is the subject of substantial investment, the early education of young children in foster care is neglected in both research and policy. This paper is a cross-national think piece to stimulate research and debate about young children in foster care. We present findings from two studies, one in England and one in Sweden, exploring foster carers’ views and practices with young children. We argue that there is a perceived tension, in foster care policy and practice, between education and emotional wellbeing such that young children’s attachment relationships and sense of security is privileged over their engagement in educational practices. Attachment relationships are a necessary but insufficient condition for optimal development of fostered children.