Co-published by UNESCO and UNICEF, with the support of GPE, ILO, OECD and The LEGO Foundation, the report is one of the commitments of the Tashkent Declaration adopted at the World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education in 2022.

The report provides nine recommendations to advance the agenda of progress towards SDG 4. It addresses how governments and the international community can tackle global learning and wellbeing challenges by promoting an integrated early childhood care and education ecosystem that better supports children and families.

The report advocates strongly for the promotion of ECCE to prepare children for school. This includes developing programmes that enhance literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skills, essential for robust educational outcomes. There is an emphasis on making quality early education accessible to vulnerable and disadvantaged children to bridge existing educational gaps. In addition, there is a pressing need to recruit at least six million more educators by 2030 to reach national benchmarks for one year of pre-primary education in low-income and lower-middle-income countries.  The annual financial gap to achieve this target is estimated at US$ 21 billion.

Support for parents and caregivers is also highlighted, urging a community-wide approach that includes supportive programmes and policies to enhance the learning environment at home. Additionally, governments are urged to invest in the recruitment and training of ECCE personnel to ensure they can create safe and stimulating learning environments.

The report also calls for significant investment in data to support and monitor ECCE development, particularly for those under three years of age. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach to learning and development is seen as vital for improving ECCE curricula and pedagogy. Moreover, it recommends governments allocate at least 10% of national education budgets to pre-primary education and establish global initiatives to foster international collaboration in support of children from birth to age eight.

The need for a legally binding international framework to establish the right to ECCE is underscored, aiming to set clear state obligations, promote accountability, and ensure adequate funding for early education sectors. This is considered as critical to preventing the deepening of the global education crisis.

The report’s key findings and recommendations will be presented to stakeholders at a launch event on 17 June. This will provide an opportunity to explore concrete examples of approaches taken by countries and partners on ECCE policies, regulations, and partnerships, and lessons learned. The event will include discussions current initiatives under the Global Partnership Strategy to promote ECCE equity and inclusion.

Source

https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/new-unesco-global-report-highlights-critical-role-early-childhood-care-and-education