OECD report Building Strong Foundations for Life: Results from the 2025 Early Learning and Child Well-being Study highlights that foundational equity gaps in education are firmly established before children even enter formal schooling.
By age five, advantaged children score 60–70 points higher in emergent literacy and numeracy than disadvantaged peers. These gaps extend beyond academic skills into executive function and social-emotional development, and are strongly shaped by socio-economic status, gender, and the home learning environment.
While girls tend to outperform boys in social-emotional domains, disadvantaged children across all groups face structural entry barriers. They are more likely to enter Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) later and spend less time within it, limiting the system’s ability to compensate for early disadvantages.
The study identifies ECEC quality and participation as the central policy lever, alongside staff capability and family engagement. Cross-country evidence shows divergence: some systems, such as Korea, combine high average performance with low socio-economic gaps, while others continue to face unequal access and participation.
The report concludes that current systems remain reactive rather than preventive. It calls for proactive, data-driven monitoring frameworks to identify children facing overlapping risks, including language barriers and behavioural challenges, and to deliver timely, coordinated interventions across education and health systems.
Key Findings on Early Learning Gaps
Socio-economic Disparity: Children from high-income families score significantly higher (60–70 points) in foundational literacy and numeracy.
Gender Trends: Girls consistently outperform boys in social and emotional development domains.
Home Environment Impact: Parental activities, such as frequent reading, are strong predictors of better outcomes regardless of household income.
ECEC Access Gap: Disadvantaged children are less likely to participate in early education and often spend less time in these settings.
Support Delays: Targeted interventions for behavioral or learning difficulties are often available but frequently lack the necessary timeliness to be effective.
Key Recommendations for Equity
Expand Targeted Access: Remove financial and administrative barriers to ensure low-income families can enroll children in ECEC earlier.
Mandate Quality Standards: Set and enforce minimum training and curriculum standards across all early learning centers to reduce variability in outcomes.
Foster Family Partnerships: Provide parents with specific training and resources for home-based literacy and numeracy activities.
Coordinate Integrated Care: Link ECEC centers with health and social services to provide immediate referrals for developmental or behavioral needs.
Use Multi-dimensional Data: Collect granular data on participation and outcomes to adjust funding and support strategies based on local equity gaps.
What is "Executive Function" in Early Learning?
Executive function refers to a set of mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. In the context of the OECD 2025 Study, these are the "foundational" cognitive processes that allow a five-year-old to focus, follow multi-step instructions, and manage their emotions. Because executive function is a strong predictor of later academic success and life outcomes, equity gaps in this area, often driven by early childhood stress or lack of stimulation, are viewed as a critical policy challenge for long-term social mobility.
Policy Relevance
Aligns with NEP 2020: The OECD’s focus on foundational literacy and numeracy mirrors India’s National Education Policy 2020 goals for Universal Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN).
Informs Anganwadi Strengthening: Recommendations for "Quality Improvement" provide a benchmark for India to enhance its Anganwadi system by investing in professional pedagogy and inclusive curricula.
Mitigates the Learning Poverty Gap: By addressing disparities by age five, India can reduce "learning poverty" before children enter the primary school system.
Empowers Home Learning: The study’s emphasis on the home learning environment validates Indian initiatives that encourage parental involvement in early stimulation and storytelling.
Targets Rural Disadvantage: Removing geographic and administrative barriers, as recommended by the OECD, is essential for reaching children in India's aspirational districts.
Follow the Full Report Here: OECD (2026), Building Strong Foundations for Life