June 16, 2026 – This new review of the World Bank’s childcare portfolio highlights the growing recognition of childcare as a driver of women’s employment, child wellbeing, and economic growth. The report notes that millions of children still lack access to childcare and that caregiving responsibilities keep hundreds of millions of women out of the workforce. It documented the rapid expansion of the World Bank’s childcare investments from 9 projects in 2019 to 130 projects in 2025, showcasing emerging lessons on financing mechanisms, policy reforms, data systems, and implementation models to support future scale-up.