Enrolment of children in early childhood education and care at ages 4 and 5 is very common across the OECD, but less so for younger children. Children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds are also less likely to participate despite the power of high-quality early childhood education and care to promote equity and inclusion. Broader and more equal participation in early childhood education and care can also help support women’s labour market participation.
Early childhood education and care
Governments increasingly recognise the importance of investing in high-quality early childhood education and care given its tremendous potential benefits for children, families, societies and economies.
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Key messages
To support children’s well-being, development and learning, early childhood education and care services need to be of high quality. Children are directly influenced by their daily interactions with other children, adults and the environment. Governments need to put in place policies that set the best conditions for high-quality interactions. These policies include standards for safe environments and the number and qualifications of staff, curriculum and pedagogies that put children at the centre and involve play, monitoring and quality assurance frameworks, as well as sufficient funding.
The early childhood education and care workforce is essential for providing high-quality well-being, development and learning experiences for young children. Attracting and retaining professionals for this field is an urgent priority in many countries. Shortages of qualified staff put more pressure on existing staff. Policies can support the development of the early childhood education and care workforce by addressing requirements for initial education and facilitating continuous professional development, as well as improving the working conditions of professionals.
Context
Enrolment in early childhood education and care becomes common by age 4
Although participation is not compulsory in all countries, in more than half of OECD countries with available data, the enrolment of children in early childhood education and care at age 5 is nearly universal. Enrolment rates are lower and highly variable across countries for younger children, especially those under age 3.
Enrolment rates of young children, by age (2021)
Investment in early childhood education and care varies widely across countries
While per-child expenditures in pre-primary education have generally increased in recent years, they vary greatly across OECD countries. Major cost drivers include child-to-staff ratios and teacher compensation; the OECD is exploring how investments in different areas can support better outcomes for children.
Average annual change in total expenditure on pre-primary education per child between 2015 and 2020
Related publications
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25 January 2024
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Working paper31 May 2023
Programmes and projects
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The Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) programme conducts analysis and develops new data to support countries in reviewing and improving their early childhood services and systems.Learn more
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The Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS Starting Strong) is an international, large-scale survey of staff and leaders in early childhood education and care (ECEC).Learn more
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The International Early Learning Child Well-being Study is designed to help countries to improve children's early learning experiences, to better support their development and overall well-being.Learn more
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The OECD Indicators of Education Systems (INES) programme seeks to gauge the performance of national education systems through internationally comparable data.Learn more
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Understanding the nature of 21st Century childhood is crucial for an education that is increasingly expected to support students to thrive in both a digital and non-digital world, delivering academic learning while also building physical and emotional well-being. This has implications for the skills, capacity and resources required.Learn more
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The Education Policy Outlook is an analytical observatory that monitors the evolution of policy priorities and policy developments from early childhood education to adult education, mainly among OECD education systems, to provide a comparative understanding of how policies are evolving, and how they can be best implemented or improved over time.Learn more
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The OECD’s programme on education and skills policy support policymakers in their efforts to achieve high-quality lifelong learning, which in turn contributes to personal development, sustainable economic growth, and social cohesion.Learn more
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PISA is the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment. PISA measures 15-year-olds’ ability to use their reading, mathematics and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges.Learn more
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TALIS - the Teaching and Learning International Survey - is the world's largest international survey about teachers and school leaders.Learn more