The Early Learning Partnership (ELP) was launched in 2012 in an effort to increase the size and quality of the World Bank's Early Childhood Development (ECD) portfolio. Since that time, we have committed more than $42 million to close to 250 grants in 93 countries, generating more than $4 billion in new and improved finance to support ECD. Over the years, we have launched new innovative programs, research areas, special topics and capacity building initiatives. World Bank investments in early childhood have increased substantially since our founding. The active Early Childhood Education portfolio has increased from around $800 million in 2015 (6% of the overall education portfolio) to nearly $3 billion (12% of the overall education portfolio) in 2023, plus substantial additional TF resources. The ECD portfolio has increased from 13% to 21% of the Human Development portfolio between 2015 and 2023 and annual approved funding in 2023 reached over $3 billion.
Partnership is core to our approach. We work closely with governments, academia, civil society, global and regional ECD networks and other international agencies, including UNICEF, UNESCO, WHO and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to coordinate efforts and share promising approaches.
As of July 2022, ELP is now associated with the World Bank’s Foundational Learning Compact Umbrella Program which was created to support country-specific and global efforts to pursue systemic and sustained improvements in education systems that lead to better learning outcomes. As an associated Trust Fund, the ELP will maintain separate funds and workplans, though ELP results will be incorporated into the FLC work program and results framework.
The ELP is financed by and partners with bilateral and foundation partners, including:
