Why public investment in pre-school education is needed to boost cognitive and school outcomes for the poorest children

Early childhood care and education is on the policy agenda in Ethiopia. Few Ethiopian children attend pre-school, and those who do are typically in urban areas and are not the poorest children. This gap is important since the poorest children are those who stand to benefit most from ECCE. This study draws on statistical analysis of the impact of ECCE, written to inform the policy environment. The brief highlights the benefits of investing in quality, publicly funded ECCE programmes for children living in povert