This essay style analysis was written by Akkriti Bhatt & Tarun Varma

Over the past 40 years childcare and early learning has changed dramatically across nations such as Scandinavia & the UK. Now, a few markets with higher birth rates and younger citizens are changing their policies to focus on better childcare. They need to spend more and find ways to cooperate across government, private operation and investment to make high quality childcare work for all.

This analysis works in a few steps.

• First, we share what scenarios for childcare could look like and what we know so far from mature markets.
• Second, we compare spending on childcare and show how Norway and the UK have evolved over the decades on childcare.
• Third, we highlight key insights by using the UK— a country with both public and private provision—as a case study.
• Fourth, we present a snapshot of three markets with evolving policy and childcare - Colombia, India and South Africa.
• Fifth, we share what countries can learn from a mature market - the UK and each other.
• We finish with trends to watch.

Appendices illustrate and tabulate some of our claims.

What could childcare look like in the future?

What Can we Learn from the UK market?

Where are Emerging or Younger Countries at?

What ECD ecosystem in Mature Markets shows

What are emerging markets' tell each other

Five things that need to be addressed across Colombia, India and South Africa

Trends to watch in the next decade

Appendix One: A quick comparison of Colombia, India & South Africa to the UK

Appendix Two: Links to international examples of excellent resources that already exist

Appendix Three: Exemplar nation - UK

Appendix Four: A short history of policy evolution in the UK