An estimated 40 percent (350 million) of the world’s children below primary school age are in need of childcare services but do not have access. The social, economic, and developmental benefits of addressing this gap would be  far-reaching – for children, families, and economies. 

 

Childcare as a global policy priority has begun gaining steam: the World Bank, IDRC, UN Women, UNICEF, and others have documented the benefits of childcare, and the Generation Equality Forum and G7 have helped to raise awareness about the importance of investing in quality childcare systems. The launch of the World Bank’s Childcare Incentive Fund in April 2022 has provided a new funding mechanism for country-level investments.

 

This increased attention, awareness, and funding has raised important questions about why and how childcare can be supported by governments – particularly at a time when many countries are facing an increasingly constrained fiscal environment.

 

• How investments in childcare will yield long-term impact across multiple sectors

• What governments can do to strengthen childcare systems 

• What civil society needs to know to advocate for strengthening national childcare systems

 

 

(more to be added) 

 

• Hana Brixi, Global Director, Gender, World Bank

• Lauren Rumble, Associate Director, Gender Equality, Programme Group, UNICEF

• Laura Turquet, Deputy Chief of Research and Data, UN Women

• Erinna Dia, Associate Director, Early Childhood Development, UNICEF

• Rachel Devi, Head of Family Health and Medical Services and ECD Focal Point for the Government of Fiji

• Susan Otien, Executive Director, ActionAid Kenya

• Megan O’Donnell, Assistant Director, Gender Program and Policy Fellow

• Joan Lombardi,  Senior Scholar at the Center for Child and Human Development at Georgetown University and Senior Fellow with the Georgetown Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues