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).

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.

Coincidiendo con el lanzamiento del Estudio de Seguimiento de la Educación para Todos sobre la educación de la primera infancia, esta edición de la revista está dedicada al tema de las Transiciones en los primeros años: Una oportunidad para el aprendizaje. Los artículos que contiene, incluye: Una visión general del recientemente publicado Estudio de Seguimiento de la Educación para Todos; - Un resumen del marco de referencia de la Fundación sobre nuestra área temática Transiciones exitosas: el continuum desde el hogar a la escuela; - Una entrevista con John Bennett, coordinador de la revisión sobre el estudio ?Starting Strong? de la OCDE; - Contribuciones desde la práctica, procedentes de Estados Unidos, India, Uganda, Guatemala, Polonia, Brasil e Israel. - Al igual que el resto de publicaciones de la Fundación, Espacio para la Infancia se distribuye gratuitamente. Sus comentarios son siempre bien recibidos.

This 68-page edition of the foundation's biannual journal is timed to coincide with the publication of the EFA Global Monitoring Report on early childhood, of which it contains a summary. Other articles include the foundation's framework for its issue area Successful transitions: The continuum from home to school, and an interview with John Bennett, who coordinated the OECD's Starting Strong reviews. There are contributions from the field from Mississippi, India, Uganda, Guatemala, Poland, Brazil and Israel.

Fathering has emerged as a key focus for effective work with young children. This issue offers an overview of how and why fathering has obtained this prominent focus. It draws out the key issues in fathering and discusses how these are understood and acted on. It offers a survey of what is being done, strategically and via direct work, to support fathers as they move towards the parenting roles that they and their families, cultures and societies determine that they should have.

This paper summarises the findings of research carried out by staff of the China National Institute for Educational Research, which runs the Foundation-supported Hebei preschool education project. The research looked into the childrearing practices of a small village in the province of Hebei in northern China. The project will use the research findings to tailor its future work to local conditions.

How do you bring the sensitivities of multiculturalism accross to teachers, and therefore to young children? How can you give children a realistic view of the world in which all beliefs, skin colours, and ways of life should be respected? In 1995, the Anne Frank House produced an information pack for carers of young children, which developed themes based on the everyday experiences of children aged four to seven from different ethnic groups. This is me takes the reader through the conceptualisation of the pack, its philosophy, and its development. Designed for use both in multicultural and monocultural settings, the paper suggests ways of dealing with questions of ethnicity. NB: some formatting and images are missing from the pdf version of this document.

Development experts have searched for universal definitions and standards of quality. But quality is contextual. Using examples from several countries, this book argues that sensitivity to diversity and to one's own preconceptions should be key elements informing all early childhood work. NB: some formatting and figures are missing from the pdf version of this document.