Search

The ‘private-for-profit’ sector is a significant provider of global ECCE, along with NGO, church-based and other non-government programs. This chapter explores how these trends contribute to policy goals, focusing especially on the risks that a growing ‘private-for-profit’ sector may amplify inequities in access and quality. We review the kinds of government financing and regulation required to harness private sector providers to achieve comprehensive ECCE goals, recognizing that the private sector varies in respect of finance, management and client group. We offer a taxonomy of four major functions for the private-for-profit sector, in its relationship to public policies and services, drawing on Young Lives country case studies of Peru, Ethiopia and India. The potential of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) has been widely discussed in relation to early childhood, but less commonly implemented fully. We draw attention to the risks of current laissez-faire approaches, favoring positive, pro-equity policies, including adequate governance of the private sector, which is not an alternative to quality publicly funded services.

This working paper is part of the Studies in Early Transitions series emerging from Young Lives, a 15-year longitudinal study of childhood poverty in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam. It explores recent trends for children growing up in Andhra Pradesh, one of India’s most populous states, based on Young Lives survey data collected for a sample of 1950 young children born in 2001 plus in-depth qualitative research. The paper discusses how poverty levels and location are strongly predictive of whether children attend government or private pre-school. It highlights policy challenges stemming from weak governance of the pre-school sector, notably how the relatively-unregulated and rapidly-growing private sector offers to initiate children into formal learning, in English, from a much earlier age than normally considered to be developmentally appropriate. And it identifies how government provision could be improved and strengthened.

Part of the "Studies in Early Transitions" series, this Working Paper draws on interviews and observations carried out as part of Young Lives, a 15-year longitudinal study of childhood poverty in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam based at the University of Oxford’s Department of International Development. This paper focuses on the challenges of translating into practice the potential of quality early childhood care and education to transform young lives. These include building a positive equity agenda, setting clear policy objectives, raising quality standards, building the skills and motivation of teachers, and recognising where equity goals can be incompatible with a market-led private system. The paper asks which children do and do not have access to an early childhood programme, and explores children’s and parents’ views about the quality of what is on offer.

Part of the "Studies in Early Transitions" series, this Working Paper draws on interviews and observations carried out as part of Young Lives, a 15-year longitudinal study of childhood poverty in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam based at the University of Oxford’s Department of International Development. This paper focuses on the challenges of translating into practice the potential of quality early childhood care and education to transform young lives. These include building a positive equity agenda, setting clear policy objectives, raising quality standards, building the skills and motivation of teachers, and recognising where equity goals can be incompatible with a market-led private system. The paper asks which children do and do not have access to an early childhood programme, and explores children’s and parents’ views about the quality of what is on offer.

The ‘private-for-profit’ sector is a significant provider of global ECCE, along with NGO, church-based and other non-government programs. This chapter explores how these trends contribute to policy goals, focusing especially on the risks that a growing ‘private-for-profit’ sector may amplify inequities in access and quality. We review the kinds of government financing and regulation required to harness private sector providers to achieve comprehensive ECCE goals, recognizing that the private sector varies in respect of finance, management and client group. We offer a taxonomy of four major functions for the private-for-profit sector, in its relationship to public policies and services, drawing on Young Lives country case studies of Peru, Ethiopia and India. The potential of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) has been widely discussed in relation to early childhood, but less commonly implemented fully. We draw attention to the risks of current laissez-faire approaches, favoring positive, pro-equity policies, including adequate governance of the private sector, which is not an alternative to quality publicly funded services.

This working paper is part of the Studies in Early Transitions series emerging from Young Lives, a 15-year longitudinal study of childhood poverty in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam. It explores recent trends for children growing up in Andhra Pradesh, one of India’s most populous states, based on Young Lives survey data collected for a sample of 1950 young children born in 2001 plus in-depth qualitative research. The paper discusses how poverty levels and location are strongly predictive of whether children attend government or private pre-school. It highlights policy challenges stemming from weak governance of the pre-school sector, notably how the relatively-unregulated and rapidly-growing private sector offers to initiate children into formal learning, in English, from a much earlier age than normally considered to be developmentally appropriate. And it identifies how government provision could be improved and strengthened.