Measuring and forecasting progress in education: what about early childhood?

Area of Science:

• Education Policy
• Development Economics
• Global Health

Background:

• A recent study modeled within-country inequalities in primary, secondary, and tertiary education for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets.
• This model overlooked inequalities in achieving Target 4.2, focusing on universal access to quality early childhood development, care, and preschool education by 2030.
• Early-life development significantly impacts cognitive and socioemotional growth, with long-term consequences for education and well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the omission of early childhood education (Target 4.2) in previous SDG 4 modeling.
• To analyze the medium- and long-term implications of early learning on subsequent educational outcomes and lifetime earnings.
• To estimate the economic costs associated with inaction on universal pre-primary programs.

Main Methods:

• Examined associations between pre-primary program participation and adolescent mathematics and science test scores in 73 countries.
• Estimated forgone lifetime earnings due to lack of universal pre-primary programs in 134 countries.
• Analyzed economic impacts relative to current governmental education expenditures as a percentage of GDP.

Main Results:

• Significant losses were found, comparable to or exceeding current total government education expenditures (as % of GDP).
• These losses are particularly pronounced in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
• Early learning investments demonstrate substantial medium- and long-term economic benefits.

Conclusions:

• Prioritizing quality early childhood care and education is essential for attaining SDG 4 and reducing inequalities.
• Policies supporting families in promoting early learning are critical, especially in a post-COVID era.
• Addressing early childhood development is as vital as improving primary, secondary, and tertiary education.