Thematic Reviews

The OECD thematic reviews identify key elements of successful ECEC policies in OECD member and non-member countries. The reports offer an international perspective of ECEC systems; discuss the strengths and opportunities of different approaches;  and provide policy orientations that can help promote equitable access to high quality early childhood education and care. To date, four reports have been issued from these reviews:

Starting Strong V (2017)

Starting Strong IV (2015)

Starting Strong III (2011)

Starting Strong II (2006)

Starting Strong I ( 2001)

Country Studies

The OECD provides countries with policy advice and in-focus comparative data in ECEC. These are tailor-made, independent reviews of countries’ policies and practices in response to individual country priorities.

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The OECD has consolidated a rich bank of data containing country-specific ECEC information.

International Data Development

The OECD develops international data on ECEC to provide insights on how different ECEC systems are organised across  the world.  As art of this work, the OECD is developing two  studies that will assist countries to improve quality,  equity and outcomes in the early years.  

Starting Strong 2017 - Key OECD Indicators on Early Childhood Education and Care

TALIS Starting Strong Survey

International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS)
 

Recent publications

Starting Strong V - Transitions from Early Childhood Education and Care to Primary Education

This report takes stock of and compares the situation across 30 OECD and partner countries, drawing on in-depth country reports and a questionnaire on transition policies and practices. It focuses on the organisation and governance of transitions; and the policies and strategies to ensure professional, pedagogical and developmental continuity between early childhood education and care settings and schools. The report describes the main policy challenges highlighted by participating countries, along with a wealth of practical strategies for tackling them. The publication concludes with six “cross-cutting” pointers to guide future policy development.

OECD ECEC Network

The Network upholds the mandate of the Education Policy Committee to assist countries to develop effective and efficient policies for education and learning to meet individual, social, cultural and economic objectives.

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Related OECD Work

Education at a Glance includes a chapter on Early Childhood Education and Care that
looks at how ECEC systems differ around the world. 

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international survey which aims to evaluate education systems by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students. PISA 2015 findings show that an investment in early education pays dividends in student’s performance at age 15.

Education GPS is the OECD source with the latest internationally comparable data on education policies and outcomes.

The OECD Child Well-Being Portal is a platform for conducting policy-oriented research on children, enhancing child well-being and promoting equal opportunities among children.

The OECD Family Database and its Child Well-Being module currently include 70 indicators under four main dimensions: (i) structure of families, (ii) labour market position of families, (iii) public policies for families and children, and (iv) child outcomes.

Doing Better for Families (2011) and Doing Better for Children (2009) analyse the role of family and child policies in fostering child well-being.

The 2011 OECD Better Life Initiative led to the inclusion of a dedicated chapter on child wellbeing in OECD (2015) How’s Life? 2015.

Other useful links

Contact the ECEC team