Press Release: Commission calls for universal access to pre-school education

Nearly one in eight European households includes a child under the age of six. 19 million of them – one in five – are at risk of poverty. For the first time, the Commission launches an action plan aimed at giving every child a better start in life and to lay the foundations for successful lifelong learning, social integration, personal development and employability later in life. The Commission's proposals, which include a call for universal access to quality pre-school education, will also contribute to two of the headline targets of the Commission's 'Europe 2020' strategy – reducing the share of early school leavers to under 10% and to lift at least 20 million people out of the risk of poverty and social exclusion.