Focus Areas
Early Childhood Care and Education
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is an integral part of the right to education from birth. It refers to a range of processes, mechanisms and programs that sustain, support and aid in the holistic development of children below eight years of age. Therefore, access to quality ECCE, is vital in laying the foundations for children’s long-term development, well-being, learning, and health. It is also an essential element for the realisation of all human rights and attaining educational achievement.
Access to quality ECCE is vital in laying the foundations for children’s long-term development, well-being, learning, and health. It is also an essential element for the realisation of all human rights and attaining educational achievement.
The right to ECCE and pre-primary education
International human rights law recognises certain rights in the early ages of life, including education, health, nutrition, care and protection. ECCE rights, specifically the right to pre-primary education, are implicitly included in the aims of the universal right to education in various international human rights treaties. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target 4.2 calls upon States, to ‘ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education by 2030.
Despite the importance and global recognition of ECCE, there are insufficient political, social, financial, and legal commitments to implement ECCE:
Access to ECCE is limited in countries around the world, and there is a massive gap in the public provision of ECCE.
Inadequate legal and policy framework, negates State Commitments to provide free, quality and equal ECCE and making States accountable for guaranteeing ECCE rights for all young children.
Worldwide, investment in pre-primary education is meagre which leads to depending on fee charging private provision, Thus, non-state actors have become key players in the commercial provision of ECCE, raising human rights concerns as regards the cost of ECCE, as well as the inequalities and discrimination children encounter before they start school. Further, as the GEM report confirms the ‘regulatory, monitoring and enforcement capacity tends to be low where the need is high’.
Evidence indicates that privatisation, commodification and marketisation of ECCE can lead to poor quality provision and social exclusion.
High levels of feminisation and gender inequality in the ECCE sector has led to lower salaries, status and poor working conditions for ECCE educators.
Download: Privatisation of Early Childhood Care and Education: Trends, Challenges and Human Rights Implications
Download: Privatisation of Early Childhood Care and Education: Trends and Policy Implications in Argentina
A Global Evidence Review
Trends, Challenges and Human Rights Implications of ECCE Privatisation
This paper examines the global growth of privatisation in Early Childhood Care and Education through a human rights lens.
It maps the expanding role of private actors in childcare and pre-primary education, explores the legal, policy and economic drivers behind this trend, and analyses its implications for equity, access, affordability, quality and accountability.
Drawing on international evidence and human rights standards, the paper highlights the need for stronger public investment and regulation to ensure ECCE is realised as a public good and a fundamental right for every child.
Country case study
Privatisation of ECCE in Argentina
This paper examines the privatisation of Early Childhood Care and Education in Argentina through a human rights lens.
It explores how gaps in public provision, fragmented governance, and limited legal protections for children under three have driven increasing reliance on private providers, contributing to unequal access based on income and geography.
Drawing on national evidence and international human rights standards, the paper highlights the need for stronger public investment, regulation, and universal provision to ensure that all young children can realise their right to quality ECCE.
Privatisation in Early Childhood Education: An Explorative Study on Impacts and Implications
This resource by Education International studies the effects of privatisation in ECCE on access quality, and equity, and on conditions of service for teaching and support staff in 14 different countries. It presents findings on perceptions of various stakeholders in ECCE, and also includes reflections and analysis of risks of privatisation on outcomes for young children and their families.
Key Resources on ECCE
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The Privatization Playbook
Author(s): Education International (EI) and Public Services International (PSI)
Language(s): English
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Global report on early childhood care and education: the right to a strong foundation
Author(s): UNESCO
Language(s): English
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Monitoring the Right to Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) from a Human Rights' Perspective
Author(s): Right to Education Initiative (RTE)
Language(s): English
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Global education monitoring report: Non-state actors in education: Who chooses? Who loses?’
Author(s): UNESCO
Language(s): English
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Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education
Author(s): UNGA
Language(s): English
