OECD shares that, without a strong start, we risk children falling and staying behind.
The OECD has published Quality Early Childhood Education: The Key to Prosperity and Wellbeing, a report that looks at the significance of early childhood education and care (ECEC) and provides a roadmap to reducing inequalities and benefitting all children by investing in high quality ECEC.
What does the report say about the significance of ECEC?
The report highlights that ‘the significance of early childhood education and care (ECEC) cannot be overlooked.’ It says that children who receive high quality early education programmes are more likely to:
- Succeed in school
- Attain higher levels of education
- Secure better jobs
- Have higher emergent literacy and numeracy skills
- Build essential foundational skills for later life such as self-regulation.
The OECD also explained that early years intervention programmes are important for bridging the socio-economic gap, explaining that, “By providing a strong foundation for learning, these programmes help level the playing field, ensuring that all children, regardless of their background, have the chance to succeed academically. This, in turn, strengthens social cohesion among children, fostering a more inclusive and harmonious society.”There are also wider societal benefits to providing quality ECEC, such as:
- a more skilled and productive workforce
- driving economic growth
- reduced social inequalities
- increased engagement of parents
- increased labour market participation.
What are the barriers and gaps?
One significant barrier to providing children with high-quality early childhood education is a lack of investment. On average, OECD countries only spent 0.8% of GDP on ECEC in 2021. There have also been arguments that investing in early education doesn’t have good ROI because skills ‘fade out in primary schools’. However, it has actually been found that these skills can re-emerge later in education and even into adulthood.
There is inequitable access to ECEC for students; there are cultural barriers, a lack of information and financial barriers to access which is contributing to significant socio-economic gaps in participation. For example, 51% of advantaged children compared to 32% of disadvantaged children were enrolled in ECEC programmes for ages 0-2. Additionally, the data revealed that disadvantaged children often receive lower-quality ECEC services and there are progress gaps in comparison to their peers.
The OECD roadmap to reducing ECEC inequalities
The OECD has set out five key policies for its roadmap:
- All children should have access to early childhood education and care.
- All children should experience meaningful interactions with staff in early childhood settings.
- Early childhood settings should be inclusive and adapt to the needs and strengths of children.
- Home and community experiences should also support children’s development.
- Effective governance, adequate funding and alignment with other early years policies are needed.
To ensure the ECEC workforce is able to provide quality provision, the OECD recommends focusing on three crucial areas: skills development, working conditions, and leadership and management. This ensures staff have essential skills but are also given the right environment to support recruitment, recruitment and retention.
References
- OECD (2025)’ International Summit on the Teaching Profession: Quality Early Childhood Education – The Key to Prosperity and Well‑Being’. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2025/12/quality-early-childhood-education_3cbd69b7/cd5ca149-en.pdf (Accessed: 4 December 2025)
