Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
Last month, Laura Bush hosted a White House summit on early childhood cognitive development, and the American Federation of Teachers recently proposed preschool access for all children in the United States, making early childhood education a hot topic at least in Washington. In this comprehensive and timely report, the OECD examines how policies, services, families, and communities support early childhood development and learning in 12 countries. It addresses general trends that have shaped policy during the last two years, how these trends and policies affect cultural views on early childhood, and finally, how those views bounce back and affect policy. Some of the larger trends include a greater portion of children spending the first few years of their life in multiple settings with multiple caregivers, more single-parent families, increased cultural and linguistic diversity among small children, and greater risk of social exclusion for children living in poverty. These trends resulted in a movement toward universal pre-school access, an increase in the quality of service providers, an exploration of funding strategies, the development of pedagogical frameworks, and attempts to engage parents and the community. The OECD offers an overview of early childhood education and care for each member country, complete with comparison graphs and statistics. It concludes with policy recommendations, including universal access, greater public investment and assurance of high quality providers. To order a copy or download a .pdf file, go to http://electrade.gfi.fr/cgi-bin/OECDBookShop.storefront. The purchase price is $40.00.
