Excerpts from the summary:

The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) commissioned researchers at Thomas Coram Research Unit to write five seminar papers in response to a number of policy questions concerning provision of services, child outcomes, quality, the workforce and funding and sustainability in the field of early childhood education and child care. These papers review cross-national evidence concerning early childhood education and child care (ECEC) services for children aged from birth to 14 (16 for children with special educational needs). The papers were written during 2002 and in conjunction with seminars held for policymakers in April 2002.The series also includes a paper introducing the project and discussing the rationale for cross-national work and this paper, which summarises the findings from the review.

The papers are available online in pdf format:

Early years and child care international summary project: Introduction [3]

Early years and child care international summary project: Provision of services [4]

Early years and child care international summary project: Child outcomes [5]

Early years and child care international summary project: Quality [6]

Early years and child care international summary project: The workforce [7]

Early years and child care international summary project: Funding and sustainability [8]

Early years and child care international summary project: Summary [9]