The open conference “Great start in life! The best possible education in early years" Co-organized by the European Commission, DG Education and Culture, Unit B2 (Schools and Educators; Multilingualism) and European Commission, DG Research and Innovation, Unit B6 (Open and Inclusive Societies), took place in Brussels, from November 30 to December 1. The CARE team played an active role in this conference.

UNICEF has recently published the Innocenti Report Card 13 Children in the Developed World: Fairness for Children - A league table of inequality in child well-being in rich countries. This Report Card presents an overview of inequalities in child well-being in 41 countries of the European Union (EU) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

CARE researcher Maritta Hännikäinen, University of Jyvaskyla in Finland, presented at the 25th conference of EECERA (European Early Childhood Education Research Association) in Barcelona, 7-10 September 2015, on the topic "Children up to the age three: focus on five national curricula on ECEC".

On 27 November 2015, CARE researcher Ted Melhuish (University of Oxford) made a keynote presentation on ECEC and the welfare of Nations at the Early Childhood National Reform Symposium organized by the South Australian Government.

On the 5-6 November 2015, COFACE, the Confederation of Family Organisations in the EU and the Bulgarian Center of Women's Studies and Policies, organized the “Families Beyond Borders” conference in Sofia, Bulgaria. The 2-day event, focused on transnational families, aimed at exploring challenges and consequences of what it means to move to a different country for better economic prospects, but leaving ageing parents and sometimes young children in their countries of origin.

One of the central challenges of the CARE project is to develop indicators of quality and wellbeing. Please read our Initial Framework on this and share your thoughts and perspectives and discuss whether it addresses your views on quality and wellbeing. What is quality in Early Childhood Education and Care to you?

CARE recently released a review of research on the effects of early childhood education and care (ECEC) on child development. CARE recommends that countries should strive to provide all children with high-quality Early Education and Care.