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Early Childhood - Education and Care (ECEC)

29 December 2011   |   Category: Papers and Statistics

Globally, the past decade has seen a surge of interest in early childhood education( age 0-8). Brain Science research related to early child development provides evidence that the first three years of human life are crucial in laying the foundations of physical, cognitive, social, emotional and behavioural development. This development occurs in a simultaneous and inter-connected manner, with each stage building on the capacities achieved in the previous stage, and setting trajectories in health, learning and behavior that can last through life. Heckman ( Nobel prize, 2007) has shown that the rate of return on Investment in human capital is highest from the 0-3 age group, including from appropriate interventions for children with special needs.

In Dubai, there is a high rate of enrollment ( 96.8%)of Emirati children in kindergarten, with over 70% enrolled in the private sector, while only 5% of Emirati age-eligible children are enrolled in nurseries. Public provision of nurseries is scarce, with only 2 nurseries catering for 43 Emirati children.

The report provides an in-depth study of the ECEC sector in Dubai in 2009, culminating in a Report by John Bennett, commissioned by KHDA. It includes a description of the existing ECEC services and the challenges facing their further development, along with recommendations to address the future needs in the sector.

For more information, please download the executive report by clicking here.

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