Center Step by Step for Education and Professional Development is conducting a study regarding the development of private early education services in Romania.

AmCham member companies are invited to fill in the attached survey form and return it to Center Step by Step at office@stepbystep.ro by Friday, October 22, 2021, EOD.

If you are interested and available to answer some additional questions in an online interview (approx. 1 hour), please contact office@stepbystep.ro.

The results and conclusions of this study will be used to inform proposals for public policies in the area of early education.

About the study

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global private sector development institution in emerging markets. IFC’s strategy aims to position the institution at the center of development by proactively creating markets and mobilizing private capital for development. As part of this strategy, IFC seeks to develop the market for early childhood care and education ("ECCE") services with the participation of the Romanian private sector. ECCE refers to the early care and education of children, which consists of public and private kindergartens and nurseries for children aged from birth to 6 years.

IFC believes that the private sector can play an important role in expanding access to high-quality early care and education at affordable prices. IFC's position allows it to support private sector actors in making investments on the Romanian market.

As a result, the Step by Step Center and L.E.K. Consulting was mandated by IFC to conduct a series of interviews with employers in several economic sectors in Romania in order to understand the demand of employees and the employer for ECCE services, as well as to assess whether employers consider that there is an opportunity and interest for them to provide or expand the provision (if already provided) of services and early education.