Definitions
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE): The International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED) classifies early childhood education (ECE) as a school-based or otherwise institutionalised care and learning for a group of young children. It can be centre-based, community-based, or home-based. ECE is often referred to in different terms across the world. These include early childhood care and development (ECCD), early childhood care and education, early childhood development (ECD), early childhood education (ECE), early childhood education, care, and development (ECECD), and early childhood education and development (ECED). ISCED further classifies ECCE into two subcategories by age group:
Early childhood educational development (Child Care) for children ages 0-2 years. It is a child care unit that includes creches and child care services in an organised setup.
Pre-primary education: Pre-primary education or preschool is defined as the initial stage of organised instruction, designed primarily to introduce young children aged between three years to the age of compulsory education (usually between four-six) to a school-type environment, that is, to provide a bridge between home and formal schooling.
Therefore for the purpose of this survey,
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) refers to all programmes for children between ages zero to the start of primary education. This includes both early childhood educational development (ECED) and pre-primary education.
Early Childhood Educational development (ECED) mainly refers to child care services meant for children between the ages of zero to 2 (or) 3
Pre-primary education refers to children who are in pre-school between the ages of 3 to the start of primary education.
Education provider: An organization that provides education, either as a main or ancillary objective. This can be a public educational institution, as well as a private enterprise, non-governmental organization, or non-educational public body.
Formal education is education that is institutionalised, intentional, and planned through public organizations and recognised private bodies, and – in their totality – constitute the formal education system of a country. Formal education programmes are thus recognised as such by the relevant national education or equivalent authorities, e.g., any other institution in cooperation with the national or sub-national education authorities.
Private institutions refer to educational institutions that are not operated by a public authority but controlled and managed, whether for profit or not, by a private body, such as a non-governmental organisation, religious body, special interest group, foundation, or business enterprise