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Public investment in ECEC services has beengaining ground on the policy agenda of bothdeveloped and developing countries. In Europe,there has been a gradual shift in spending overthe last 15 years away from child-related financialtransfers in favour of ECEC services, along withgreater efforts to direct expenditure towardsyounger children. 218 Even countries such asGermany and the Netherlands—often consideredstrongholds of traditional family policies—havemade significant investments in the expansion ofchildcare services for under-3s. 219East Asia and the Pacific as well as Latin America andthe Caribbean have also seen significant progressin the expansion of ECEC services. Pre-primaryenrolment for children in these two regions jumpedby 30 and 21 percentage points, respectively,between 1999 and 2012. 220 Figures 3.11 and 3.12 show,however, that in Latin America and the Caribbean,where more detailed data are available, averagecoverage for under-3s remains at very lowlevels and inequalities across income groups aresignificant. Some countries in the region have madeimportant strides to scale up ECEC services and alsosucceeded in reducing income-based inequalities inaccess to these services, as discussed further below.Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay haveinvested in provision both at the preschool (3–6years) and day-care (0–3 years) levels. 221Figure 3.12Pre-school attendance rates by income quintile in Latin American countries, 2006-2012In Latin America, children from higher income households are more likely to be in pre-school than childrenfrom lower income households100Richest wealth quintilePoorest wealth quintile90807060Per cent50403020100GuatemalaSource: ECLAC 2014a.NicaraguaBolivia , Plurinational State ofParaguayHondurasCosta RicaPeruPanamaColombiaEcuadorChileVenezuela , Bolivarian Republic ofBrazilArgentina aMexicoUruguayNote: Data refer to the most recent available during the period specified. a. Urban areas only173