Mr. Director:
The beginning of a new government opens a key opportunity to define priorities with lasting impact on the country’s development. Preschool education should occupy a central place on the agenda of the next administrationconsidering that the first years of life are decisive for the future educational, social and work trajectories of boys and girls.
One of the most urgent challenges is ensure attendance and permanence at this educational level. In 2024, average attendance reached only 76.4%, equivalent to about 40 days of absence per year. This absenteeism directly affects child development and is associated with greater risks of falling behind and exclusion from school. Addressing it requires active attendance management, with personalized monitoring, early detection of chronic absenteeism and actions that reinforce the value of regular attendance from early childhood.
Likewise, it is essential to guarantee the quality of educational spaces and the interactions that occur in them. Educational quality depends on significant interactions between educators and preschoolers, where emotional sensitivity, affective stimulation and the quality of language are determinants for their comprehensive development.
Finally, It is essential to move towards equitable and sustainable financing, since the differences in the subsidy and the dependence on enrollment and daily attendance generate inequities that affect the quality of the educational service.
Addressing these challenges will allow us to strengthen early childhood education as a State policy, guaranteeing all boys and girls a solid and equitable educational start for Chile.
The content poured into this Letter to the editor It is the exclusive responsibility of its author and does not necessarily reflect the position of Diario y Radio Universidad de Chile.
