The Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes parents and other primary caregivers as children’s first educators.  The Committee on the Rights of the Child in its General Comment 7 (paras.

As emphasised by the Committee on the Rights of the Child (General Comment No. 17, para. 9), ‘Play and recreation are essential to the health and well-being of children and promote the development of creativity, imagination, self-confidence, self-efficacy, as well as physical, social, cognitive and emotional strength and skills. They contribute to all aspects of learning.’ The Committee also recognises  play as one of the most distinctive features of early childhood (General Comment No. 7, para. 34).

Teenage pregnancy is a complex social issue often caused by human rights violations such as gender-based violence against girls, child marriage, lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services, and lack of access to education. Often these violations happen to the most marginalised girls, particularly girls with disabilities, girls living in poverty, and girls living in rural areas.

This indicator examines the existence of legislative or policy provisions  guaranteeing  children living with mothers in prisons to have access to equal education including ECCE/pre-primary education.

Violence against children is widespread, across different cultures and societies. It occurs everywhere including homes, schools and streets; in places of work and entertainment, and care and detention centres.

A curriculum framework is a document that sets the content of the education. International human rights law requires that the content of education be rights-based, meaning it is person centred, non-discriminatory and conforms to the aims of education. This indicator examines if the curriculum framework confirms with the aims of the education.

As affirmed by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, early childhood is a critical period  for realising children's rights. Young children’s earliest years are the foundation for children’s well being, growth and development and it has been shaped by the culture and environment they grow in. While extensive  research has been carried out  on the distinctive features of early childhood, the committee observed that it is limited to certain contexts and regions of the world.

This indicator measures whether the State prioritises the funding of public education, and only funds eligible private educational institutions when substantive, procedural and operational requirements are met.

States shall provide assistance to parents and legal guardians in performing their child-rearing responsibilities. In order to enable parents, especially working parents to combine family obligations with work responsibilities and participation in public life, States have to establish child care institutions, facilities and services for which they are eligible. This indicator examines availability of such services for all working parents including those in the unorganised (informal)  sector and those residing in rural and remote areas.

Since ECCE policies and programmes aim to attain holistic child development, covering aspects related to a child’s health, nutrition, development, education, hygiene and protection, ECCE governance should encompass multisectoral coordination and integrated services. This requires the involvement of different government ministries in decision making, planning and execution. This indicator assesses  whether the ECCE system is implemented through multisectoral coordination.