Early learning

GPE supports lower-income countries to improve equitable access and quality learning in the early years.

Early childhood care and education is one of the most critical and cost-effective investments a country can make in its people and overall development.

Children who get quality early education before age 5 perform better throughout their schooling than those who don’t. Quality early childhood education (ECE) also helps reduce repetition and drop-out rates in primary school.

Enrollment in pre-primary education has increased globally over the past decade. Yet, 175 million children still do not have access to pre-primary education.

Early learning is a priority area in GPE 2025. GPE, along with nearly 50 organizations and countries, endorsed the Commitment to Action on Foundational Learning. In line with the SDG commitment, GPE incentivizes countries to ensure that all children have access to at least one year of quality pre-primary education.

 

Early childhood education is one of the best investments a country can make to prepare children for learning and give them a chance to thrive later in life.

 

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Zanzibar: Prioritizing young learners to develop foundational skills

Our results

10%
of GPE financing
went towards early learning activities in 2023.
65%
of children
were enrolled in pre-primary education in GPE partner countries in 2021 compared to 19% in 2002.
US$272 million
in GPE grants
support early childhood education in 2023.

Sources

Publications

Factsheet: Early childhood education
The rationale for investing in pre-primary
Knowledge and innovation exchange work on early childhood care and education

GPE in action

GPE supports governments to improve access to quality early learning opportunities by:

Supporting early learning sector planning and analysis: GPE strengthens countries’ capacity to effectively plan, develop and implement quality early learning programs.

  • KIX is financing global and regional research related to scaling alternate models for early learning. Several other KIX grants are supporting early learning, making it one of the largest areas of focus under KIX.
  • In collaboration with the LEGO Foundation and the International Development Research Centre, GPE launched 5 research initiatives in 2022 focused on sub-Saharan Africa. They explore how play-based learning and innovative pedagogies can improve children’s development and learning, as well as provide insights into how parents, educators and governments can best support early learning.

Mobilizing and delivering funding: Through its grants, GPE supports increased financing to early learning in partner countries and promotes domestic and international investments in early learning across the partnership. Early learning components in GPE grants can go up to more than US$35 million.

Expanding early learning enrollment: GPE supports partner countries' initiatives to launch new laws, policies, public awareness campaigns and financial incentives to increase the number of children in pre-primary education.

Better Early Learning and Development at Scale - BELDS

GPE and UNICEF joined forces under the BELDS Initiative to strengthen countries’ capacity to effectively plan, develop, and implement quality ECE programs at scale.

BELDS was funded by GPE with support from the Open Society Foundation, Comic Relief, Hilton Foundation and Dubai Cares. A scale-up of the BELDS work financed by a KIX global grant is now underway.

  • 4 partner countries engaged in capacity building activities in 2019-2020: Kyrgyz Republic, Ghana, Lesotho, and Sao Tome and Principe. Under KIX, BELDS capacity building activities are continuing in Kyrgyz Republic and Lesotho and also include Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Tajikistan.
  • Through BELDS, the ECE Accelerator toolkit was developed and launched.
  • Cross-country peer learning and exchanges promoted best practices, lessons learned and collaboration between countries.
  • An online course - Mainstreaming early childhood education into education sector planning was developed.

An independent evaluation of BELDS found it successful in equipping ministries with capacity, knowledge and resources to mainstream ECE and in raising the profile of early childhood education in sector plans and policies.

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