Resources

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and target 4.2 specifically, convey a clear objective 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. This global report confirms the importance of early childhood education in achieving SDG 4 and supports a bold challenge: Provide all children with at least one year of quality pre-primary education by 2030.
The reasons for this aspiration are clear, as a solid body of evidence shows that the foundations for learning are largely built in the early years of life, before a child ever crosses the threshold of a primary school.
In recent proposals on how to achieve universal education at all levels, the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity (the Education Commission), the World Development Report and the Global Education Monitoring Reports3,4,5 have all emphasized that investments in early childhood education have positive returns not only for individual children but also for building more efficient and effective education systems.
Yet, currently, both domestic financing and international aid invested in pre-primary education are poorly targeted and grossly inadequate. This represents one of the greatest missed opportunities to nurture the world’s human capital and help children reach their fullest potential.
Based on comprehensive, data-driven analysis, this report examines the current status of pre-primary education and offers a practical vision for expanding equitable access and improving quality. Recognizing that many countries, especially low- and lower-middle-income countries, are at the beginning of this journey, providing universal access to pre-primary education in all countries by 2030 requires a realistic yet bold approach.