Early Childhood Education

Learners - Policy Lever

Essence

This lever measures the extent to which the government supports access to quality early childhood education for children under 5.

Indicator

A score ranging from 1 to 5, calculated based on 4 de jure policy questions and 1 external de facto data point to capture coverage of early childhood education. Responses to the 4 questions are scored according to a rubric that considers the factors associated with good ECE systems for children under 5. Two scores are reported: one for de jure policy existence and one for de facto policy implementation.

Background

Pre-primary education can promote foundational skills. In countries ranging from Ethiopia to the United States, high-quality center-based programs have shown significant benefits in developing children’s language, cognitive, motor, and socioemotional skills (Berlinski et al. 2008; Engle et al. 2011; Favara et al. 2017; Garcia et al. 2016; Rao et al. 2014). By contrast, attending a low-quality ECE program can be worse than attending none at all (Bouguen et al. 2013; Rosero & Oosterbeek 2011). Studies in countries like Mozambique have shown the effectiveness of center-based preschool programs is largely determined by the quality of child-caregiver interactions. Only half of children worldwide age 3-6 have access to preprimary education. Coverage ranges vastly; from 21 percent in low-income countries to 86 percent in high-income countries, with poorer children enrolled at the lowest rates in every country (UIS 2018).

Existing Data Source
Policy Survey
School Survey

Instrument Used for Measurement

  • Survey of Public Officials
  • Existing Data Source
  • Policy Survey
  • School Survey

Measurement Approach

This indicator is made up of two factors – 4 de jure questions included in the Policy Survey that inquire about the availability of public quality center-based care, and 1 de facto component that measures the participation rate in early childhood education. If data on quality is available, participation in ECE will be adjusted for quality. The various measures include the following:

(de jure) Is there a policy that guarantees free education for some or all grades and ages included in pre-primary education (for children age 0-83 months)?

(de facto) Percentage of children age 36-59 months who are attending an early childhood education programme

(de jure) Are there developmental standards established for early childhood care and education?

 (de jure) According to laws and regulations, which of the following are required to become an early childhood educator, pre-primary teacher?

Instrument Sources

System Approach for Better Education Results – Early Childhood Education (SABER-ECE)

Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS)  - Early Childhood Education Participation   

If available, best source of information for quality of ECE. E.g. Measuring Early Learning Quality and Outcomes (MELQO)