Role of the Private Sector in Early Child Development
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private sector.” Whereas privatization involves the shifting of ownership and operation (and sometimes financing) from governmental to nongovernmental organizations or individuals (that is, into column 2), “involving the private sector” suggests a broader search for ways to involve private institutions and individuals that are not already directly involved in programs of care and education; emphasis is placed on column 1, but the concept pertains to all parts of the figure. Involving the private sector may consist of finding ways to: • Shift institutions and individuals from column 1 to column 2 as owners, operators, or caregivers (i.e., privatizing), or • Capture resources from all parts of the private sector that could be used by public or private institutions for care and education to improve child development. The advantages and disadvantages of privatization have been much debated and are not specifically addressed in this chapter. Rather, the focus is on the broader theme of “involving the private sector” in care and education. Private-Sector Involvement: Statistics
Statistics on the involvement of the private sector in childcare and education mostly report enrollments of children in formal institutions owned and operated by business or social organizations (column 2, rows A and B). The data include enrollments in for-profit and nonprofit educational institutions, religious and nonreligious institutions, and community groups and PVOs directly involved in education. The statistics omit the educational contributions of business or social organizations not established explicitly for educational purposes, and they do not reflect individual or informal home care and education. The statistical and administrative definition of private-sector involvement rarely, if ever, distinguishes explicitly among ownership, operation, or control of organizations and sources of financing. The dominating criterion almost always seems to be ownership. As noted