United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Health, Education, and Human Services Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1995-02-03 monographic deposited born digital 42 p. GA 1.13:HEHS-95-45BR https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-95-45BR P0b002ee18038beef f:he95045b DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-HEHS-95-45BR machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-HEHS-95-45BR HEHS-95-45BR Comparative analysis Foreign governments Head-start programs Children Preschoolers Child care programs Educational programs Elementary education Demographic data Teachers Child Care and Development Block Grant Denmark France Italy National Education Goals Goals 2000 Briefing Report HEHS Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on early childhood programs in Denmark, France, and Italy, focusing on how these countries maintain and encourage participation in early childhood programs.<p/>GAO found that: (1) many more 4-year-old children attended public early childhood programs in the other countries than in the United States; (2) children in these countries had higher participation rates because their parents believed in the benefits of early childhood programs, and public programs were more accessible and convenient to parents; (3) public early childhood programs in the other countries have numerous quality standards, including specialized teacher training requirements; (4) early childhood program teachers in the other countries are encouraged to prepare young children for life using overall balanced approaches that teach the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive skills that children must eventually develop; (5) teacher turnover rates in the other countries were lower than the teacher turnover rates for U.S. programs; (6) unlike many U.S. early childhood teachers, all the teachers in the other countries were public elementary school teachers and received pensions, leave, and health care benefits; (7) although child-to-staff ratios in Denmark and Italy were generally within the range recommended for U.S. programs, child-to-staff ratios in France were higher; (8) the other countries' national and local governments substantially subsidized their early childhood programs; and (9) staffing costs per child varied among countries because of differences in child-to-staff ratios and staff training and experience. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-95-45BR/html/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-95-45BR.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-95-45BR/pdf/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-95-45BR.pdf GAO/HEHS-95-45BR https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-95-45BR Briefing Report GAO/HEHS-95-45BR; Early Childhood Programs: Promoting the Development of Young Children in Denmark, France, and Italy; Comparative analysis Foreign governments Head-start programs Children Preschoolers Child care programs Educational programs Elementary education Demographic data Teachers Child Care and Development Block Grant Denmark France Italy National Education Goals Goals 2000 Public Law 103-227