Environmental inequalities in the access to pre-school education — dimensions and consequences
The objective of the article is an analysis of environmental inequalities in the access to preschool education and their consequences. The study consists of two sections, the first of which uses the existing data to analyse the universality of pre-school education between the city and the rural areas and the diversification of the rural areas itself. In the second section, the author uses his own research to make an attempt at determining the consequences of environmental and social inequalities in the access to pre-school education for the children’s future school results and their life aspirations. The results of the analyses point not only to distinct inequalities in the universality of the preschool education between the city and the rural areas, but also within the rural areas themselves. The fewest pre-schools are in farming areas with low population growth and negative net migration rate. Next, the analysis of the empirical matter from the research proves that, assuming similar social position of the family, the pupils who had attended pre-schools in the past achieved better results at external exams compared to their peers whose education started in primary school. A similar regularity can be recorded in the sphere of educational aspirations.