Beyond Access: Exploring Equity in Early Childhood Learning and Development

Informed by the use of the International Development and Early Learning Assessment (IDELA) across 38 sites reaching over 20,000 children ages 3 to 6 living in diverse contexts around the world, this report highlights that less than one-third of children are transitioning into primary school at age 6 with the necessary foundational early literacy, numeracy and social-emotional skills needed to succeed. Further, the report highlights the significant association between poverty, among other factors, and development of school readiness skills of young children, underscoring that equity should be at the heart of preprimary education scale up efforts.