1. Early Childhood Development As Smart Economics: the Case of Roma Inclusion in Europe 1

2. Food for thought: What do the EU 2020 Goals mean for a Roma girl in Eastern Slovakia? 2

3. 3 Generations …. of change? 3 Tera Fabianova, Slovak Roma writer and poet, 1930 – 2007: “No-one in my family could read and write. I would go and work as a little girl for the “Gadji” for a piece of bread and lard. One day they came to tell us to go to school. 'One from each family must go to school or you'll be locked up.' My mother said, 'You'll go 'cos you're naughty.'” "I sat in the first row, because I wanted to be clever, and near the teacher. I didn't have a pencil or paper or anything. I sat and waited for the teacher. She came and said, 'Hey, you, Gypsy kid. Your place is at the back.' There were three benches where the Romany and poorest children sat. I wasn't allowed to sit at the front. But I wanted to be clever, wanted to learn."

4. 3 Generations …. of change? 4  More than 80% of Roma parents want secondary education for girls.  Uncollected garbage and shacks still common.  Most—87%—of Roma households are in poverty  One third goes hungry at least once a month.  The girl in the picture has an 18% chance of being enrolled in preschool, compared to 72% of the general population.  Between 12%-15% of Roma children are streamed into primary schools for children with mental disabilities.  Her odds of graduating secondary school are 9%.  She is unlikely to find work: among Slovak Roma only 9% of women and 20% of men work.  Facing prejudice and discrimination  Similar situation in neighboring countries

5. While majority populations are aging, Roma populations are young and growing RomaNon-Roma neighbor comparator Slovakia National Roma Integration Strategy: 320,000 Roma WB findings: Approximately 72,000 Roma households; Estimate growth rate of 1.7-1.8% annually - population will double by 2050.

6. Roma inclusion is in national economic interest: investing early 6  Economic Consequences of Labor Market Gap:  Per capita output among Slovak Roma and majority population – productivity of poorest 25% versus richest 25% globally  In 2012, 13% new labor market entrants in Slovakia are Roma;  Aging challenge – Roma inclusion nexus is even stronger in neighboring countries; up to 20% of new labor market entrants Roma in BG and RO  Investing early is a human right for the young Roma girl in Slovakia and poor young Roma and non-Roma children everywhere – and in national economic interest

7.  Enrollment among Roma children: very large gap 7 CZ and SK: 3-5 year olds; BG, HU, RO: 3-6 year olds Inequalities start early

8. 8 Inequality in early childhood: risk and protective factors for early child development (2011) Walker et al. The Lancet, Volume 378, Issue 9799, Pages 1325 – 1338Volume 378, Issue 9799  Inequalities in child development begin prenatally and in the first years of life  The most effective and cost-efficient time to prevent inequalities is early in life before trajectories have been firmly established  Action or lack of action will have lifetime consequences for adult functioning  World Bank (2012) report “Closing the Early Learning Gap for Roma Children in Eastern Europe” findings are consistent with global evidence. Global evidence: INVEST EARLY

9. Preschool participation among Roma linked to later life outcomes 9 Compared to neighboring Roma children from similar socio- economic backgrounds in the same communities, those who attend are:  Much less likely to enroll into special school :  6 ppts in Czech Republic and 7 ppts in Slovakia  Much more likely to complete secondary school  from 13 ppts (Slovakia) to 16 ppts (Romania)  Less likely to be on social assistance as adults  from 7 ppts (Romania) to 17 ppts (Hungary)

10. 1. Provide parents basic information on the benefits of preschool education 2. Promote inclusive preschools and enhance parental involvement 3. Remove cost barriers possibly coupled with regular attendance subsidies 4. And, support parenting at home 5. Carry out rigorous social policy experiments 1. Evaluate what (combination of) method works best 2. Get public support to scale up proven methods 10 INCREASE PRE-SCHOOL PARTICIPATION:

11. Thank you Picture by Ovidiu Ro