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This article presents an outline history of the development of formal early childhood education programs for Aboriginal children in Canada with reference to experience in Australia and New Zealand. 1 A review of selected developments in the colonial era that influenced the provision of early childhood education (ECE) is followed by a discussion of cross-national themes and current issues in the post-colonial period. 2 While there is a growing literature on the history of formal early childhood education programs for European children, comparatively less attention has been paid to the history of programs for indigenous children. At the same time, the number and variety of early childhood programs in each of the three countries has increased over the past 20 years. The aim of the article is to identify common and unique experiences in indigenous ECE in each country and, it is hoped, to raise questions worthy of further study. 3 The article ends with a selective review of more recent initiatives.

There is a global trend towards formal approaches to preschool education. This article explores the tension between formal and non-formal approaches in the context of India, through a discussion of the preschool programme of the Government of India's Integrated Child Development Services that targets disadvantaged children, and private nursery schools that operate on a commercial basis. Although a non-formal approach is endorsed by experts as best for children in both settings, it has little support in actual practice. In the competitive context of Indian schools, many parents opt to provide their children with an early headstart on formal instruction.

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