The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey: A Critical Source of Data on Equitable Access to Equity to Early Learning Programs Globally

• In Event: Innovations in measuring access to ECD

Proposal

Early childhood development (ECD) is now the subject of major international focus, being included as a target in the sustainable development agenda. As such, there is an urgent need to develop a strong measurement framework to allow monitoring of progress on ECD at the national, regional, and global levels. Perhaps the key advance in collecting cross-nationally, comparable data across the globe in low, middle and even high income countries on early childhood development is UNICEF’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS). MICS surveys collect data on quality of care, access early childhood care and education and overall developmental status of children using a standard module through face-to-face interviews with mothers and caregivers of young children. Some Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and other national household surveys have also adopted the MICS module to collect the same or somewhat modified data. The module is administered to mothers or primary caregivers of children under the age of 5 (0 to 59 months). Comparable data collected through MICS are currently available for around 90 countries collected though nationally representative data on access to organized early learning opportunities for children 36-59 months through either the DHS or MICS, around 50 of these have multiple eaves of data.

An important advantage of MICS is the ability to disaggregate the data to reveal important inequities faced by children such as those related to gender, area of residence, ethnicity and household poverty, allowing greater targeting of ECD programmes. This presentation will draw on the rich MICS databases which provides an unparalleled opportunity to explore patterns of access to early learning and child development across regions and over time. Further, the presentation will explore how such a method of data collection can shed light on critical equity issues that may otherwise remain out of sight using the traditional preprimary GER calculations. The presenters will also discuss some of the challenges in using household survey to report to ECD access as well as barriers to better reporting. Finally, the presentation will touch on best practices in ensuring national ownership and use of such data for policy and program planning.

Authors

• Shane Khan, UNICEF

• Claudia Cappa, UNICEF

• Ivelina Borisova, UNICEF