Why Starting Preschool Early Gives Your Child a Real Advantage - The Cambodia Data

77.9% of Cambodian children aged 3 to 5 are now registered for early childhood education. That's approximately 440,000 children - up from 310,000 just over a decade ago. [1]

Preschool is no longer a niche choice for Cambodian families. It is becoming a normal part of preparing a child for school.

But another number deserves just as much attention.

Cambodia has approximately 1.1 million children under the age of 3, and World Bank data reports an enrollment rate of just 2.3% for the 0-to-3 age group. [2]

That gap between participation in the earliest years and enrollment at ages 4 and 5 raises an important question for parents:

Does starting preschool earlier give a child a meaningful advantage?

The Numbers: Enrollment Rises Quickly With Age

The World Bank's 2024 review of childcare in Cambodia reports a dramatic increase in preschool enrollment as children get older: [2]

• Age 0-3: 2.3%

• Age 3: 15.2%

• Age 4: 36.7%

• Age 5: 65.4%

By age 5, nearly two-thirds of Cambodian children are enrolled.

So a child beginning preschool at age 5 is not really getting an early start. They are joining at roughly the same time as a large share of their peers.

Starting at age 2 or 3 is different.

It gives a child additional time in a structured early learning environment before primary school begins - time to develop language, early literacy, numeracy, social confidence, classroom routines, independence, and learning habits.

The advantage is not simply "more school."

It is more time to develop gradually.

What Starting Early Actually Means

In many Phnom Penh households, young children spend their first years at home with parents, grandparents, relatives, or nannies.

That can be safe, loving, and enormously valuable.

A good preschool adds something different: a structured environment designed specifically to help young children learn through interaction, play, movement, language, exploration, and relationships.

In an early learning classroom, a child can begin developing:

Early Literacy

Children become familiar with stories, vocabulary, sounds, letters, books, and spoken language.

In a bilingual environment, they can begin building foundations in both Khmer and English.

Early Numeracy

Children are introduced to counting, quantities, patterns, shapes, comparisons, and basic problem-solving through age-appropriate activities.

Social and Emotional Skills

Preschool provides daily opportunities to share, take turns, listen, communicate, cooperate, follow routines, and participate in a group.

Confidence and Independence

Simple routines - greeting a teacher, carrying a school bag, putting materials away, completing an activity, asking for help, or speaking in front of classmates - gradually build confidence.

By the time primary school begins, the classroom itself is already familiar.

Why the Early Years Matter

The early years are a particularly important period of development.

Research reviewed in the Cambodian preschool literature notes that early human development establishes underlying brain architecture and functions that influence later development. Quality early childhood education has also been associated with better school readiness and longer-term educational outcomes. [3]

But starting early should not mean putting academic pressure on a two- or three-year-old.

High-quality early education is developmentally appropriate.

Young children learn through stories, songs, conversation, movement, play, repetition, hands-on activities, experimentation, and interaction with adults and other children.

At Liberty International School, our early childhood program begins from approximately 1.5 years old through Nursery Education.

Our preschool curriculum is based on the California Early Childhood Framework and uses the LED International Preschool Curriculum. It incorporates early literacy, beginning mathematics, language development, science, creativity, physical development, and social-emotional learning.

The objective at this age is not to rush children.

It is to give them an environment in which learning becomes natural, enjoyable, and part of everyday life.

Starting at Age 5 vs. Starting at Age 2 or 3

The decision to wait is understandable.

Your child is small.

They may be happy at home.

Grandparents or relatives may provide excellent care.

So why rush?

The better question is not whether a two-year-old needs "school" in the traditional sense.

It is whether a young child can benefit from an age-appropriate learning environment earlier.

Cambodia's data provides useful context.

By age 5, 65.4% of children are already enrolled in preschool. [2]

A child who starts at age 5 is therefore joining a large group of children who are already participating in early education.

A child who begins at age 2 or 3 has additional time to become comfortable with:

• classroom routines;

• early literacy;

• early numeracy;

• Khmer and English language development;

• social interaction;

• listening and concentration;

• creative activities;

• physical development;

• problem-solving; and

• learning independently from a teacher.

None of these develops overnight.

They grow through repetition, experience, encouragement, and time.

And an earlier start provides more of that time.

Cambodian Families Are Investing More in Early Education

Cambodia's broader education trends point in the same direction.

Early childhood education registration among children aged 3 to 5 reached 77.9% in the 2025-2026 academic year, compared with 61.4% just over a decade earlier. Total registrations increased from approximately 310,000 to 440,000 children. [1]

The private preschool sector has expanded considerably as well.

Research published in 2025 reports that Cambodia had 963 private preschools in the 2024-2025 academic year, compared with 232 in 2011-2012. The researchers describe this as an increase of more than threefold. [3]

At the same time, Cambodia has expanded public and community preschool provision, reflecting a wider national push toward greater access to early childhood education. [2][3]

UNESCO has also highlighted early childhood education as an important area for continued investment in Cambodia, noting both progress in access and the need for further improvement in quality and equitable provision. [4]

For parents, the question is increasingly not simply:

"Should my child attend preschool?"

It is:

"What kind of preschool experience will prepare my child best for the years ahead - and when should that experience begin?"

Building Two Languages From the Beginning

For many Phnom Penh families, bilingual development is one of the strongest reasons to consider an earlier start.

Young children learn language through meaningful exposure: conversations, stories, songs, pictures, play, repetition, classroom routines, and interaction.

That is why bilingual early education should involve much more than memorizing English vocabulary.

At LIS, the goal is to progressively build literacy in both Khmer and English.

Children develop listening and speaking skills while gradually being introduced to phonics, vocabulary, pre-reading, reading, and writing at an age-appropriate level.

By kindergarten, those foundations become increasingly academic.

LIS bilingual students typically progress toward entering Grade 1 able to read, write, and communicate in both languages.

Every child develops at a different pace, so this is not a promise of an identical result for every student.

It is the educational outcome our program is designed to work toward.

The Advantage Is More Than Academics

It is easy to think about preschool only in terms of letters, numbers, and English.

But school readiness is broader than that.

A child entering Grade 1 also needs to know how to listen, communicate, work with others, manage routines, ask questions, attempt new tasks, solve small problems, and recover when something is difficult.

These habits take time to develop.

A child who has spent several years in a positive early learning environment has had hundreds of opportunities to practice them before formal primary education begins.

That experience can matter just as much as knowing the alphabet.

What This Means for Your Child

The choice is not simply between "preschool" and "no preschool."

It is also about when structured learning begins.

Starting earlier gives children more time to develop skills gradually, rather than encountering language, literacy, numeracy, social expectations, classroom routines, and formal learning all at once.

At LIS, younger children begin with developmentally appropriate activities centered around vocabulary, communication, movement, early numeracy, creativity, social development, and learning how to learn.

As they move through preschool and kindergarten, literacy, phonics, reading, writing, mathematics, science, and problem-solving become increasingly structured.

The goal is not to push primary school downward into preschool.

The goal is to make sure that when primary school arrives, children have a strong foundation for what comes next.

The Real Advantage Is Time

Children do not suddenly become learners when they enter Grade 1.

They have been learning from the beginning.

Cambodia's own education data shows that early childhood education is becoming increasingly common. Registration is rising, preschool provision is expanding, and families have more options than they did a decade ago. [1][3]

For parents, that makes the question worth reframing.

Instead of asking only:

"Should my child go to preschool?"

Consider asking:

"When would my child benefit from starting?"

Starting at age 2 or 3 does not have to mean rushing childhood.

A good early childhood classroom should still be filled with stories, songs, games, movement, friendships, discovery, creativity, questions, and play.

The difference is that those experiences take place in an environment intentionally designed to support development.

And when a child has additional years to build confidence, language, literacy, numeracy, independence, social skills, and positive learning habits, that extra time can become a very real advantage.

Learn More About Preschool at Liberty International School

Liberty International School has served families in Phnom Penh since 2011 and offers Nursery, Preschool, Kindergarten, and Primary programs with an emphasis on bilingual education and international curriculum.

Our early childhood program combines Khmer and English language development, early literacy, mathematics, science, creative arts, physical development, and social-emotional learning in an age-appropriate environment.

Parents are welcome to visit LIS, see our classrooms and facilities, meet our team, and discuss which starting level is most appropriate for their child.

Liberty International School
#168, Street 156, Toek Laak 2, Tuol Kork, Phnom Penh

https://maps.app.goo.gl/nd5qx1PK5KqhvbPh9
Phone: 095 712 165
Website: libertycambodia.com

Sources

[1] Cambodianess. "Early Childhood Education and School Completion Rates Rise." February 12, 2026. Reporting figures presented by Cambodia's Minister of Education, Youth and Sport at the National Education Congress 2026.

[2] World Bank. Supply of and Demand for Accessible and Affordable Childcare Services in Cambodia. 2024. See Chapter 2, Table 2.1 and Figures 2.2-2.3.

[3] Chea, P., Wang, K., Ogawa, K., et al. "Bridging the Gap: An Examination of Teacher Deployment in Cambodian Preschools." International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, Volume 19, Article 9, 2025. DOI: 10.1186/s40723-025-00148-z.

[4] Bang, K. & Noguchi, M. Costing and Financing of SDG 4.2 in Cambodia. UNESCO Office Bangkok and Regional Bureau for Education in Asia and the Pacific, 2024.