Only 0.7%
of GDP is spent on early childhood education and care by high-income OECD countries
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100+ organisations call for G20 action on early years crisis
The Roger Federer Foundation, UNICEF and Sesame Workshop are among those urging increased investment in childcare and pre-primary education.
More than 100 leading organisations have now supported a call for the G20 to urgently tackle the global early years crisis.
In the week that Brazil takes over the presidency of the G20, the Roger Federer Foundation, Sesame Workshop and UNICEF have signed an open letter to Brazilian President Lula da Silva. They join previous signatories such as the LEGO Foundation, International Rescue Committee and dozens of early childhood organisations.
The letter urges the president to use his country’s G20 role to address the severe lack of funding that means hundreds of millions of under-fives miss out on childcare or pre-primary education. Brazil has been a leader on child rights and investing in early childhood development.
The call for action was coordinated by sa国际传媒 and the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) as part of the growing Act For Early Years campaign, which is supported by hundreds of children鈥檚 organisations, businesses, celebrities and youth activists.
The open letter to President Lula da Silva calls for increased investment from the world鈥檚 major economies and says international leaders are putting children鈥檚 futures at risk.
More than half of the world鈥檚 children – 350 million – do not have access to the childcare they need and about half of pre-primary aged children are not enrolled in any form of early education.
The letter鈥檚 signatories call on the G20 to revive a to invest in the early years, which has been blown off course by the Covid-19 pandemic and global economic downturn.
鈥淚nvesting in the early years is both a moral must and a strategic win for the G20,鈥 said sa国际传媒 President Justin van Fleet.
鈥淲e know early learning has a problem with under-funding.鈥 Roger Federer at an Act For Early Years event.
鈥淏razil has set a vision of building a fair world and a sustainable planet. Early years care is vital in that mission – it鈥檚 when the building blocks for a prosperous and equitable future for everyone are laid.
鈥淭he undeniable reality is that without early years support children are at risk of going through life with poorer physical and mental health. They face a struggle to learn and, later, to earn a living.
Elizabeth Lule, Executive Director of ECDAN, said: “The benefits of high-quality childcare are well documented and they cascade across society. Children benefit by being exposed to stimulating environments at a critical time in their development.
鈥淲omen benefit from having the opportunity to remain in or enter the workforce and build financial independence. And local and national economies benefit as new jobs are created, family incomes grow and tax revenue expands.鈥
sa国际传媒 Chair Sarah Brown said: 鈥淭he first five years of a child鈥檚 life are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for children to flourish. But children in rich and poor countries alike are being let down on a global scale.
“This has huge ramifications for everyone, not least women who disproportionately bear the brunt of the childcare crisis, forcing them to leave the workforce because of unaffordable nursery fees.
鈥淭he G20 poses a fantastic opportunity to change this, giving leading nations the chance to pledge to end the global early years crisis. It鈥檚 time governments step up and provide young children the best opportunity to build a better and brighter future.鈥