Abstract

Neoliberalism in education has proliferated globally around the world, including early childhood education (0 to 6 years). At this level, children’s enrollment has grown mainly through this policy rationale, which includes policies, such as privatization, competitive funding, and standardized evaluation systems. However, there is scant evidence regarding these policies and their consequences, considering early childhood education’s particularities. In order to understand the implications of these transformations, a systematic literature review was developed, in which 53 publications between 2012 and 2022 were analyzed. Findings contribute to characterize neoliberal policies at this level and identify their effects in relation to: i) access, coverage and equity, ii) quality, curriculum and accountability, and iii) working conditions and institutional funding.