All children have the right to education as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Early childhood education is an integral part of this right.
Early childhood education takes place before compulsory education, whether it is a part of the education system or independent from it. This includes childcare centres, nurseries, pre-school education, kindergartens and other similar institutions. It goes beyond what some refer to as pre-school education – it is education in its own right with the purpose of preparing children for school but also for life, in the same way that other parts of the education system contribute to this process.
We believe that early childhood education is an essential part of life-long learning. It is of great value to all children and should be available to everyone.
We promote early childhood education that is publicly funded and universally accessible. We advocate for the integration of early childhood education into education systems under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, seeking continuous professional development for teachers and other professionals.
