Start by investing in education

This chapter highlights the importance of early childhood development, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Early childhood is a critical development phase for individuals, and its outcomes have an impact on outcomes later in life. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to benefit from high-quality home learning environments than their peers from more affluent families. Disadvantaged children are also less likely to receive high-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) services. Therefore, public provision of high-quality ECEC services and additional family-based support need to mitigate these early learning deficits. This chapter addresses these issues in detail, and makes policy recommendations for how governments can help children from disadvantaged backgrounds obtain equal opportunities to develop human capital.