The first years of life mirror the future of nations. Yet, time and time again, we fail to prioritise what should be our greatest investment: high-quality early childhood education and care and a unified early years sector for all children to start strong.
Why does the early years sector, despite overwhelming evidence of its value, remain fragmented and the Cinderella of education systems in many countries worldwide?
At a recent international conference on early childhood education in Prague – ‘Places to Grow: Supporting Children, Transforming Tomorrow’ – the spotlight was on improving early years systems, encouraging cooperation and the sharing of advancements in research, policy and practice.
Yet, amid this celebration of progress, an unsettling truth lingered among the speakers and the audience: a recurring theme of underinvestment and systemic neglect in the early years sector.
According to a study led by Nobel laureate economist James Heckman, investing in high-quality early childhood development programmes can yield an annual return of up to 13 per cent per child. These returns come from reduced costs in education remediation, lower crime rates and increased adult productivity.
The evidence is indisputable: quality early childhood experiences improve lives and reduce societal costs. So why are governments across the globe dragging their feet?
As was highlighted by several speakers during the conference, the answer lies in politics, priorities and short-term thinking. Election cycles reward decisions that produce short-term results, not those that bear fruit decades later. This lack of political urgency means early childhood education and care rarely receives the funding it desperately needs to improve the quality of its service provision.
The problem is not just financial; it is systemic. Dysfunctional ecosystems plague the early years sector, with fragmented health, education and social services creating glaring gaps.
Ministries, support systems, institutions and organisations work in silos, failing to coordinate and harmonise efforts.
The consequences are dire. Without coordinated systems, children miss out on the nurturing care, educational opportunities and supportive environments they need in order to thrive. Worse, early years educators – those on the frontlines of this crisis – face inadequate training, wage disparity, lack of recognition as professionals and limited career progression. How can we expect quality outcomes when the workforce is undervalued and begging for professional recognition and ongoing monitoring and support in practice?
As in Malta, various governments focus on increasing women’s participation in the workforce through free or subsidised schemes for those having very young children. While accessibility is crucial, it often comes at the expense of quality. Early childhood settings must be more than convenient drop-off and child-parking points, and early childhood educators are not just childminders. Every child has the right to environments that foster learning, development and well-being.
This requires investment in professionalising the workforce, ensuring educators are trained to deliver high-quality care and education. Yet, in many countries, including Malta, early years teacher training is not even recognised on par with primary school teacher training. This disparity undermines the sector and perpetuates low standards.
The science is clear: the early years are a critical window of opportunity. Children’s brain architecture is built during this time, laying the foundation for lifelong learning, behaviour and health. Neglecting this window leads to toxic stress, developmental delays and long-term societal costs.
Early childhood education rarely receives the funding it needs- Charmaine Bonello
Every missed opportunity to invest in early childhood development results in higher future expenditures on healthcare, education and social services.
The cost of inaction far outweighs the cost of action.
This is not just a call for more money – it is a call for a paradigm shift. We need a shared vision and coordinated action to build a robust early years ecosystem.
Governments must:
Invest in the early years workforce: provide adequate training, fair wages, eliminate professional recognition gaps between early years educators and other educators and clear career pathways for in-service and pre-service early years educators.
Unify services: integrate health, education and social services to ensure consistent, high-quality support for children and families.
Focus on quality: prioritise the quality of early childhood settings alongside accessibility.
Communicate effectively: advocate for the importance of early years to policymakers and the public, emphasising long-term benefits.
The time to act is now. If we continue to treat early childhood development as an afterthought, we jeopardise not only individual lives but the future of our societies. We must demand that our governments prioritise the early years and hold them accountable for delivering results.
The next time you hear a politician speak about the future, ask them this: “What are you doing for our youngest citizens?”
As James Cairns, of the Centre on the Developing Child at Harvard University, said during the Prague conference: “If it is good for children, it is good for all.”
Let us ensure that every decision we make reflects this truth.
Investing in early childhood is not just the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do. Let us give our children, and our world, the chance they deserve.
Charmaine Bonello is a senior lecturer in early childhood and primary education, Faculty of Education, University of Malta.