Description: This study forms part of the follow-up to the 2006 European Commission Communication on 'Efficiency and Equity in European Education and Training Systems' which explicitly refers to pre-primary education as an effective means to establish the basis for further learning, preventing school drop-out, increasing equity of outcomes and overall skill levels'. The study examines the available cross-national data and national policies on early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Europe. It is structured in three parts, comprising: (1) a review of scientific literature on the impact of high quality education and care on young children; (2) a scene-setting chapter presenting statistical data on relevant demographic characteristics of European families and the participation rates in ECEC; (3) a comparative analysis of policy measures based on information collected from national units of the Eurydice Network.