Across income settings, public spending on children peaks too late (around early adolescence), while investments made in earlier in life (ages 0-8) deliver the highest developmental and social returns. This mistiming leads to avoidable inequalities and places a costly remediation burden on education systems.
This study examines how countries can better sequence and prioritise child policies to front-load investment in the early years. It also analyses how early resources are being mobilised and how they can be feasibly allocated in an equitable way.
The research combines updated global spending profiles with a new analysis of governance structures managing child-related investments across regions and income levels. Additionally, it includes a contextualised literature review that identifies what works, where it works, and why. This ensures that model child policy portfolios can be adapted to different national contexts.
The findings aim to support the creation of practical and staged recommendations for governments and development partners. These recommendations are targeted at strengthening financing and governance, as well as multisectoral coordination across education, health, and social protection systems.
This project is developed in partnership with UNESCO. It aligns with SDG 4.2, the Tashkent Declaration, and the upcoming Global Early Childhood Care and Education Report 2026, contributing to global efforts to prioritise early childhood development.
