1. Worldwide Access to Early Childhood Programs: Where Do We Go From Here? Jason T. Hustedt & W. Steven Barnett National Institute for Early Education Research Rutgers University

2. International Context Increasing interest on the part of both parents and governments in expanding early childhood education and care (ECEC) Substantial increases in ECEC enrollment since the 1960s Enrollment rates still low in developing countries, though the gap is decreasing

3. Education for All Goals World Education Forum (Dakar Framework for Action, 2000) Expanding and improving ECEC one of six goals to be met within a generation Emphasis on disadvantaged children particularly relevant to developing countries

4. Impacts of ECEC Programs Positive short- and long-term effects Impacts in a number of areas, including cognitive, behavioral, schooling, health Limited research evidence on impacts in developing countries

5. Age-Based Differences Most ECEC policies and programs start at age 3 (“pre-primary education”) Programs that do exist for children 0-3 often viewed as child care Even the responsible gov’t agencies differ Parents bear more costs for programs viewed as child care

6. Enrollment Ratios by Region 2006 Source: UNESCO, 2008

7. Change in Enrollment Ratios 1999-2006 Source: UNESCO, 2008

8. What We Know Now Country-by-country enrollment rates from UNESCO show annual changes Data on settings for pre-primary education show that programs are generally in public settings Developing countries make extensive use of private settings, unlike developed and transition countries

9. What We Need to Know Beyond percentages of children enrolled, which children are being enrolled in ECEC? What types of programs are being offered? –Quality provisions (teacher qualifications, class size, etc.) –Service elements/areas of emphasis (cognitive only, or also social-emotional, health, nutrition) –Universal or targeted?

10. Advantages of Universal Programs No need to identify and recruit target populations Disadvantaged children benefit from programs including advantaged children Public support may be higher Children from all types of backgrounds can benefit

11. Policy Considerations Governments need to prioritize ages of children and mix of services More in-depth comparative data needed internationally As enrollment grows, increasing need to know about types of services offered