Dear Editor,
The data is clear – There are long-term economic benefits to investing in early childhood services. Children who participate in early childhood development benefit from improved academic progress, being more likely to graduate secondary/high school, decreasing involvement in the criminal justice system and contributing to public welfare by joining the workforce as adults.
UNICEF data indicates that access to quality care and education programmes outside the home can foster social competency and emotional development.[1] Having a strong social and emotional foundation in early childhood leads to children building relationships which are essential for emotional security and well-being.
There is a role for faith groups, community health workers, corporate entities, friendly societies and non-governmental agencies to be part of the ecosystem which fosters the development of strong families and communities. An ecosystem which provides every family with the information and access to early learning, health, nutrition, mental health, child care, parenting and social services to put young children on a trajectory for positive development outcomes. All parents regardless of their socio-economic status must be equipped to guide and support their children from childhood through adolescence, laying the foundation for success as adults.
Comprehensive systems and policies which support investments in early childhood can decrease childhood adversity, promote the development of problem-solving skills, prevent violence against children, help change powerful social norms and promote open communication to empower teenagers to make informed decisions about their future. We must advance better economic, health and social outcomes for every Guyanese child.
Regards,
Kathryn Jones
Early Childhood Advocate,
Educator, Mentor & Leader
Managing Director, Birth to Three
Educational Services
Kathryn Jones
Early Childhood Advocate,
Educator, Mentor & Leader
Managing Director, Birth to Three
Educational Services
References
- Early childhood education - UNICEF DATA — data.unicef.org ↩
Other references
Early childhood education - UNICEF DATA
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Last update: June 2025 | Next update: June 2026
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## Too few children are attending pre-school programmes The family and home environment are critical to a young child’s survival and development. However, access to good-quality care and education programmes outside the home are also important in providing children with the basic cognitive and language skills they need to flourish in school. Such programmes can also help foster social competency and emotional development. In fact, it is widely recognized that early childhood care and education form the foundation of a high-quality basic education. That said, too few children are attending preschool programmes. Investing in early childhood education can be a powerful way to reduce gaps that often put children with low social and economic status at a disadvantage. Studies show that the returns on such investments are highest among poorer children, for whom these programmes may serve as a ... Read more Despite the proven benefits of preschool programmes, access and attendance remains limited, both at global and regional levels. Globally, only around 4 in 10 children aged 3 and 4 attend early childhood education (ECE). Attendance levels vary widely across regions with around 2 in 3 children in Latin American and the Caribbean attending ECE compared to just under half of children in South Asia and only 1 in 4 in sub-Saharan Africa. ##### **Globally, only around 4 in 10 children are attending early childhood education programmes** ... ### Hide
## Early childhood education data
## Early childhood development –early childhood education data ### Build and download your own customisable dataset
Query data ... June 1, 2025
## Resources
## Countdown to 2030: Country Profiles on Early Childhood Development ... ## The Formative Years: UNICEF’s work on measuring ECD
Publications
## [Early Childhood Development: A Statistical Snapshot –Building better brains and sustainable outcomes for ... The main source of nationally representative and comparable data on attendance in early childhood care and education programmes is theMultiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). Some[Demographic and Health Surveys ... Questions on attendance in organized early childhood care and education were first collected in the birth registration and early learning module during the second round of MICS (MICS2). For the third round of MICS (MICS3), conducted ... learning module. Beginning with the fourth round of MICS (MICS4), questions on attendance in early childhood care and ... Across all rounds of MICS that have collected data on attendance in early childhood education, the standard indicator definition refers to the percentage of children aged 36 to 59 months who are attending an early childhood education programme. This means that it is possible to explore trends over time for several countries that have completed multiple rounds of MICS. ... * Home environment
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Source
- Invest in comprehensive early childhood services in Stabroek News, March 8, 2026