Investing in high-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC)

Excerpts:

OECD often tells countries that they should invest more in high quality early childhood education and care (ECEC). But why invest in high quality ECEC?

There are three broad rationales for putting public resources into high quality ECEC. First, it has significant economic and social payoffs. Second, it supports parents and boosts female employment. Third, it is part of society's responsibility to educate children, to combat child poverty and to help children overcome educational disadvantage.

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ECEC needs to be of sufficient quality to achieve beneficial child-outcomes and yield longer term social and economic gains. Research shows that poor quality ECEC provision can have lasting detrimental effects on children's development.