Financing for equity in pre-primary education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to institutions
3. Education resources to students and families
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Introduction
Key financing indicators (UIS Data)
According to UIS data, the official entrance age to pre-primary school in 2023 was 3 years old. The number of years of free and compulsory pre-primary education grants in legal frameworks are not available. The net enrolment rate for pre-primary for both sexes was 67.31% in 2023.
Governance
The Education Bill (2024) the Minister of Education, Youth Development, Sports and Digital Transformation is responsible for governing public education, which includes early childhood education. The Ministry maintains a dedicated section for infant schools (pre-primary) and an early childhood unit, reporting 24 public centres and 108 private centres.
Tuition-free status
Pre-primary education is not guaranteed to be free under national frameworks. Article 76 of Education Bill (2024) suggests that early childhood education will be made universal at a future date upon ministerial decree.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
There are no funding mechanisms transferring funds from the central government to local governments for pre-primary education.
2. Education resources to institutions
The Government of Saint Lucia, through the Ministry of Education, Youth Development, Sports and Digital Transformation, provides subsidies to pre-primary institutions through grants to registered Early Childhood Development centres. In August 2024, EC $2,500 grants were awarded to 105 centres to improve learning environments and resources. However, the funding was not equity-targeted, as all registered centres were eligible. In January 2025, a subvention on school fees was introduced for over 3,400 children enrolled in privately owned preschools, reducing tuition by EC $50 per child for the 2024–2025 academic year.
The Early Childhood Education Policy (2013) aims to support access for children in underserved areas and ‘at-risk’ children (poverty, disability, neglect, HIV) by incentivising the establishment of early childhood services. The policy commits to providing tax concessions and direct per-pupil subventions to institutions. The policy similarly supports access for children with disabilities with tax incentives for building accessible environments.
3. Education resources to students and families
Subsidies for pre-primary education are delivered directly to educational instituitions rather than to families.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
No social policies from ministries other than the Ministry of Education have been identified that provide resource transfers to families or students to improve access to pre-primary education.
