At the I Lead Community Preschool in the Kandal Province of Cambodia, children are taught to wash their hands with soap and water before entering the classroom each day. Hygiene is a core part of the preschool curriculum and extremely important in poor rural areas where very few houses have running water or a well. 

The school was built by an NGO called Aide and Action and teachers' salaries are paid with funding from the local Commune Council. The Global Partnership for Education funds helped buy school materials and train teachers.

Access to early education has various positive effects such as better school readiness, lower repetition and drop-out rates as well as better learning outcomes in primary education.  Cambodia’s “Education Strategic Plan 2014-2018” has a strong focus on early childhood education and the country has allocated over 60% of the $38.5 million Global Partnership for Education grant to expand access to early childhood care and development.

Explore a photo story about Cambodia's crucial investments to improve early education.