Ministerial leadership
A major consideration for implementation is determining which ministry, or ministries, oversee the pre-primary subsector and/or if there is a division of responsibilities among central and local administrative entities. It is important to clearly outline who is in charge of what to ensure successful implementation. It is also important to ensure that sufficient staff with early childhood education expertise are present within the lead ministry and relevant government bodies, so that subsector policy development and implementation can be supported.
Additionally there are generally two systems that are followed when it comes to looking at the broader picture of early childhood care and education (ECCE) services: integrated and split. Countries who follow an integrated system of governance typically have one ministry that governs all ECCE provision settings to provide a continuum of high quality services across different age groups. In this case, ECE often falls under the auspice of the Ministry of Education. Countries who follow a split system of governance generally separate care and education into two components that are then governed by different authorities. Then, there are also non-governmental governance cases, such as when non-state actors are the predominant providers of ECCE services. It is therefore even more important, in these cases, for there to be strong governance to ensure adequate quality and standards of care that are equitable and inclusive.