Governments should invest more money on children in the first six years of their lives to reduce social inequality and help all children, especially the most vulnerable, have happier lives...

According to the OECD’s first-ever report on child well-being in its 30 member countries, Doing Better for Children, shows that average public spending by OECD countries up to age six accounts for only a quarter of all child spending. But a better balance of spending between the “Dora the Explorer” years of early childhood and the teenage “Facebook” years would help improve the health, education and well-being of all children in the long term, according to the report.“The crisis is putting pressure on public budgets across the world. But any short-term savings on spending on children’s education and health would have major long-term costs for society,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría. “Governments should instead seize this opportunity to get better value from their investment in children and spend early, when the foundations for a child’s future are laid."

We all know that this is key especially for disadvantaged children and can help them break out of a family cycle of poverty and social exclusion.
Chris