This working paper is part of the Studies in Early Transitions series emerging from Young Lives, a 15-year longitudinal study of childhood poverty in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam. It explores recent trends for children growing up in Andhra Pradesh, one of India’s most populous states, based on Young Lives survey data collected for a sample of 1950 young children born in 2001 plus in-depth qualitative research.

The paper discusses how poverty levels and location are strongly predictive of whether children attend government or private pre-school. It highlights policy challenges stemming from weak governance of the pre-school sector, notably how the relatively-unregulated and rapidly-growing private sector offers to initiate children into formal learning, in English, from a much earlier age than normally considered to be developmentally appropriate. And it identifies how government provision could be improved and strengthened.

Other working papers in the Studies in Early Transitions series are Early Childhood Transitions Research: A review of concepts, theory and practice (Working Paper 48, by Pia Vogler, Gina Crivello and Martin Woodhead); Equity and quality? Challenges for early childhood and primary education in Ethiopia, India and Peru (Working Paper 55, by Martin Woodhead, Patricia Ames, Uma Vennam, Workneh Abebe and Natalia Streuli); and Continuity and respect for diversity: Strengthening early transitions in Peru (Working Paper 56, by Patricia Ames, Vanessa Rojas and Tamia Portugal).

Este Cuaderno sobre Desarrollo Infantil Temprano forma parte de la serie "Estudios sobre transiciones en la primera infancia" de Niños del Milenio (Young Lives, en inglés), un estudio longitudinal de 15 años sobre la pobreza infantil en Etiopía, India, Perú y Vietnam.

En este Cuaderno se analizan las diversas experiencias de 28 niños procedentes de cuatro comunidades contrastantes en Perú para investigar cómo cambiaron sus vidas cuando empezaron la educación primaria. Estos detallados estudios de caso muestran problemas comunes: exclusión de servicios de inicial y de la primaria, falta de coordinación entre la inicial y la escuela, temas relacionados con el castigo físico y la diversidad cultural.

Se señalan algunas acciones que pueden mejorar las transiciones educativas tempranas en la infancia, que incluyen: fortalecer la colaboración entre la educación inicial y la primaria, dar prioridad a las estructuras y políticas educativas, la planificación curricular y la pedagogía.

This working paper is part of a series on early transitions from Young Lives, a 15-year longitudinal study of childhood
poverty in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam. It explores the diverse experiences of 28 children from four contrasting communities in Peru as they start school. These detailed case studies highlight common problems: exclusion of certain parts of the population from pre-school services, lack of coordination between pre-schools and primary schools, issues with physical punishment and cultural diversity. It proposes four ways in which children’s early educational transitions can be enhanced, looking at such factors as educational structures, curriculum planning and teacher training.

Esta edición de Espacio para la Infancia centra su atención en cómo la calidad de los programas de la primera infancia pueden contribuir a sentar las bases de la educación primaria de calidad. Entre los artículos presentados, se presenta una visión general sobre el complejo tema de la ?calidad? en la primera infancia, una entrevista con una especialista en educación básica que resalta la importancia del respeto por el derecho a la educación, y una introducción al Report Card Nº 8 del Centro de Investigaciones Innocenti de Unicef que establece una comparativa sobre la calidad de los servicios de educación inicial en los países de la OCDE. Además, también se presentan experiencias en la práctica de Bosnia Herzegovina, Perú, Tanzania, Brasil e India.

This edition of Early Childhood Matters seeks to focus attention on how quality early childhood programmes can lay the foundations for quality primary education. Among the articles there is an overview of the complex topic of ?quality? in early childhood education, an interview with a specialist in basic education for children that highlights the importance of respect for the right to education, and a look at Innocenti Research Centre?s Report Card 8, which suggests benchmarks for measuring the quality of early childhood education and care services in the OECD countries. Examples from ECD work come from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Peru, Tanzania, Brazil and India.

A través de la colaboración entre la Fundación y la Open University, esta serie de publicaciones se propone transmitir de forma clara y sencilla los mensajes procedentes del mundo académico para que sean de utilidad para los defensores de los derechos de la primera infancia.

Early Childhood in Focus is a toolkit for child rights advocates. By setting out clear messages emerging from academic research, it serves to inform, encourage, and provide leverage for successful rights-based policy advocacy on behalf of young children. This second issue deals with the global challenges of education for all, especially for the youngest children. It looks at the implications of growth in early childhood education and care, including a reappraisal of traditional concepts of school readiness, and a review of strategies required to ensure continuity in children's experiences of successful transitions. NB: pdf also available in Russian.

Care and education for young children are often understood primarily as a commodity to be provided in the marketplace, or as a kind of factory to produce human capital. But institutions for children and young people can also serve a very different role. They can be understood as forums for democratic political practice. This is a choice that we, as citizens, can make. This paper applies the idea of democracy to a wide range of institutions providing education and care for young children.

This issue of ECM takes a close look at one of the three new programme areas guiding the foundation's work: Social inclusion and respect for diversity. It includes contributions from Michel Vandenbroek, Martha Friendly, Jeanette Rhedding-Jones and Paul Connolly, and an interview with Martha Nussbaum. It deals with issues ranging from immigrant parents to indigenous communities, and includes insights from Albania, Nepal, Israel and Northern Ireland.