Cambodia
Early Childhood Development 2020–2024 (Phase 1); 2023–2026 (Phase 2)
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Daycare centers in villages for early childhood in Cambodia
In Cambodia, where more and more women are working in factories, the need for childcare for young children is great. Many families entrust their toddlers to grandparents who are overwhelmed by the notions of stimulation of the young child.
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The context
Nearly 700,000 people work in the garment industry in Cambodia. 90% of these are women.
While the law, with a view to developing early childhood services, requires companies with more than 100 employees to offer childcare services, it is little respected.
A study on the landscape of company crèches in Cambodia, carried out by Planète Enfants & Développement on behalf of the World Bank in September 2019, showed that only 13 of the 700 factories in the country that year complied with the law.
Often, companies prefer to offer compensation to their employees.
Public daycare centers are mostly in big cities and private structures are too expensive for working women. They cost on average 100$ per month while the average wage for a female textile worker is 180$ per month.
The needs in the early childhood sector in Cambodia are enormous, especially for children under 3, and the public administration does not yet have the means to meet them fully.
How is your donation used?
For every €100 raised by Planète Enfants & Développement, €86 goes towards our social mission.
Our projects are evaluated by independent firms. And our accounts are audited and certified each year by KPMG.
daycare centers built and opened since the start of the project
children enrolled in the 51 supported municipal preschools
parents who are aware of their children's needs
The project
For more than 40 years, Planète Enfants & Développement has been supporting the development of early childhood care, early learning, and education in Cambodia.
Launched in 2020 based on the lessons learned from the «Social Services in Factories» project, the program has led to the construction of 13 village daycare centers In the provinces of Kampong Speu, Kampong Cham, and Kampot, training for early childhood care workers, as well as the Bringing 100 municipal preschools up to code between 2020 and 2022, in partnership with the Bandos Komar association.
By continuously engaging public authorities to develop the sector, the association has set itself the goal for the 2023–2026 period of helping these daycare centers become self-sufficient, raising parents’ awareness of a child’s first 3,000 days, and strengthening the national institutional and regulatory framework.
During its final phase, the project achieved key milestones in the areas of sustainability, strategic partnerships, and educational innovation.
Advocacy, Government Commitment, and Private Partnerships
Our efforts have led to significant financial and political commitment from public and private stakeholders to ensure the autonomy of daycare centers:
- We contributed to the strategic discussions that led to the Cambodian government’s adoption of the December 15, 2025: A Historic Sub-Decree on early childhood care in daycare centers.
- The Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports (MoEYS) and local municipalities have increased their direct budgetary investments. The private sector has also stepped up its efforts (Wilson factories, VF Corporation), and a memorandum of understanding signed between the MoEYS and Danone has enabled the distribution of milk in two daycare centers to combat anemia.
Sharing Expertise and Establishing Company Daycare Centers
Recognized for its expertise, our association was asked to assist the company Kirirom Food Production (KFP): After supporting the establishment of their company daycare center, in 2025 we provided in-depth training to the childcare providers (designing play areas, nonviolent education, crisis management, and abuse prevention).
Training, Coaching, and Digitalization in Preschools
We continued to provide support to 51 public schools supported in previous years:
- Gender-Sensitive Education
- Launch of the platform Preschool Basics (BOP) which allows teachers to prepare their lessons and share best practices. 90% of teachers now consider % to be essential.
- Technical and operational support has made it possible to the opening of two new classes in the Baseth and Korng Pisey districts (recruitment, equipment, playgrounds).
Awareness campaigns on new social issues
In collaboration with the local NGO RACHA, the project has stepped up awareness-raising efforts among families and institutions on three key topics: gender equality, the prevention of everyday violence in education (VEO), and the dangers of early screen exposure.
Cambodia: Supporting families in the slums of Phnom Penh
Cambodia: 100 community preschools standardized"We want to drive a new model of daycare that involves the employers of the factories in the funding, which involves parents but also the communal councils."
Nathalie Dupont, Director of PE&D Cambodia in 2020
Our partners in the field
NGO RACHA (Reproductive And Child Health Alliance)
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports Cambodia
Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training of Cambodia
Cambodian Ministry of Women's Affairs and Ministry of Health
Provincial districts and municipalities
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