This booklet presents the organizational arrangements of pre-school education in a number of developed and developing countries. It also clearly demonstrates the short- and long-term effects of early childhood education programmes for the psychological development and future learning of children; particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is, therefore, of great relevance to planners and decision-makers concerned with providing quality early childhood education the world over. While this publication focuses primarily on OECD countries, another will pay particular attention to the needs of resource-poor countries, where programmes might have to be constructed in other, more innovative, ways, relying heavily on local resources and communities.
