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Inequalities in attendance in organized early learning programmes in developing societies: findings from household surveys
Authors: Yuko Nonoyama-Tarumi, Edilberto Loaiza and Patrice Engle
Source: Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 39(3): 385-409; DOI: 10.1080/03057920701712833
Topic(s): Education
Inequality
Country: More than one region
  Multiple Regions
Published: APR 2009
Abstract: While the importance of attending early learning programmes is increasingly evident, the provision of early learning programmes in developing countries has not grown in parallel. In this paper we examine how attendance in early learning programmes for children aged 3–6 years, the recommended period, differs within and across 52 developing countries. We use two household surveys, the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) and the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). We employ logistic regression equations to predict the probability of attending early learning programmes. First, the participation rate varies extensively by age within the age range examined. Second, children with mothers with secondary education or higher and from the upper end of household wealth distribution have higher probabilities of attending early learning programmes. The findings highlight the need for disaggregated data and policies targeting children from disadvantaged family backgrounds in promoting early learning programmes. Keywords • Early childhood development, • Attendance rate, • Inequalities, • Family background