How does pre-primary education make a difference?

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) provides a strong foundation for children’s learning and well-being – and it has a significantly larger positive impact on those from less privileged backgrounds. Participation in high-quality ECEC enhances the development of children’s cognitive, social and emotional, and self-regulatory skills at an early age. Evidence points not only to improved academic and professional outcomes later in life, but also to a lower chance of behavioural and emotional problems in adolescence.

Yet disadvantaged children are less likely than their more advantaged peers to participate in ECEC. Across OECD countries, 74% of students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds attended ECEC for at least two years, compared to 86% for advantaged children.

Policy that seeks to provide better access to good-quality ECEC could make a difference.

See also: Value for Money in School Education