Public Early Childhood Education in Chile celebrates 160 years

Early childhood education in Chile formally began with the creation of the first kindergarten on October 6, 1864.

For this reason, we are commemorating 160 years of Public Early Childhood Education in Chile this Tuesday, which has achieved a benchmark standard of educational quality in Latin America.

The kindergarten created in 1864 was located on Santiago's Portugal Street and run by the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.

Modern approach to early childhood education in Chile

The kindergarten that was created in 1864 was the first approach to a modern institution for early childhood education in the country. It laid the foundations for moving towards an educational approach at a time when the focus on children was predominantly assistance-based.

Since then, early childhood education in Chile has moved from an assistance-based to a comprehensive approach, where early education is conceived as the basis for the cognitive, social and emotional development of children.

Thanks to the work of multiple generations and governments, public early childhood education in Chile has achieved a benchmark standard of educational quality in Latin America.

To commemorate this occasion, the Early Childhood Education Undersecretary's Office is promoting the "Jardín de Memorias" (Garden of Memories) initiative, a call to the public to collect photographs and stories of experiences in early childhood education. They will then be exhibited at the Museum of National History from November.

Growth of early childhood education in Chile

Public early childhood education saw an increase in attendance during the first half of 2024, compared to the previous year.

Attendance increased by 17.1% in June and 7.2% in July, compared to the same months of the previous year.

During the period from March to July 2024, average attendance reached 76% and has since remained above 72%. This reflects a more effective control of the impact of winter on children's health and education.

With regard to figures on early childhood education in Chile:

• There are 731,838 children who attend early childhood education.
• 11,876 establishments provide early childhood education: 4,365 are public nursery schools and/or kindergartens.
• These institutions employ 3,981 directors, 29,693 early childhood educators and 63,998 early childhood technicians or assistants.

Comprehensive nursery school agenda for Chile

The nursery school agenda for Chile promotes access to quality education from early childhood in a comprehensive manner and with an educational focus.

This agenda consists of two bills:

Sala Cuna para Chile (Nursery School for Chile) bill

The Sala Cuna para Chile bill expands access for parents to certified nursery schools and kindergartens.

This bill integrates an educational perspective that places the well-being and education of children at the center. It also considers parental co-responsibility and promotes women's positioning in the labor market.

It is currently in its first constitutional procedure in the Senate.

Modernization of Early Childhood Education bill

This bill aims to modernize and reorganize the provision of early childhood education, establishing enabling conditions to make progress in developing this level of education.

On October 7, it was approved in the Chamber of Deputies and passed on to the Senate for its second constitutional procedure.

The bill extends the deadline for kindergartens to obtain official state recognition until 2034 and:

• Legally recognizes alternative early childhood education programs, which provide coverage in territories that are difficult to access or geographically isolated.
• Creates a centralized registry of early childhood education establishments and regulates early childhood education calendars to determine the periods in which activities will be suspended.
• Establishes the incompatibility of multiple registrations between early childhood education establishments that receive regular contributions from the State in order to avoid excessive waiting lists.
• Reorganizes the registration and list management system.