# **_1 Introduction_**

Morocco has been experiencing a period of rapid economic growth. From 1980 to 2010, gross domestic product (GDP) growth averaged 4 percent (Furceri, Mazraani, & Versailles, 2013). Overall poverty has also decreased considerably, with around 1.7 million people moving out of poverty from 2001 to 2008 (High Commission on Planning Morocco, 2010). Despite this progress and economic growth, inequality in human and economic development remains a major issue in Morocco. The government has taken steps to address inequality through projects such as the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH). Yet, in a speech in July 2014, King Mohammed VI deplored the persistence of social inequalities. He applauded the progress made in terms of overall economic growth and reduced poverty while fully acknowledging the unequal distribution of wealth (Morocco World News, 2014). Symptoms of persistent problems with inequality in Morocco include the fact that income inequality had increased over the past decade, inequality in access to services remained high, and educational outcomes remained poor for many segments of the population (Furceri, Mazraani, & Versailles, 2013).

Inequalities in human development begin early. One study in the United States showed that at age three, gaps in learning, as measured by vocabulary, were already significant across children from different socioeconomic levels; children from poor families had less than half the cumulative vocabulary of rich children (Hart & Risley, 1995). This trend of early developmental gaps has also been noted in developing countries (Paxson & Schady, 2007). A child’s socioeconomic status can affect learning and development due to differences in health and nutrition, quality of the home environment, and exposure to biological and psychosocial risks, including lack of stimulation and excessive stress (Walker, Wachs, Grantham-McGregor, et al., 2011). These factors affect children’s brain development and behavior. Over time, these effects accumulate, further increasing inequality across generations (World Bank, 2005). These inequalities in early childhood are particularly troubling because they occur before children have any control over their circumstances, and thus are purely inequality of opportunity (Roemer, 1998). Essentially, young children face an unequal ‘playing field’ for development.

These deficits and inequalities in early childhood development (ECD) are preventable. Studies have shown that investments in ECD, especially in the prenatal period through the first years of life, can be the most effective and cost-efficient way of preventing inequality. Quality ECD programs for the poorest can lead to major gains in the lives of disadvantaged children and reduce economic disparities later in life (Heckman & Masterov, 2007; Heckman, 2006). For example, investments in early education have reduced achievement gaps, needs for special education, and crime rates, among other benefits (Temple & Reynolds, 2007). To be most effective and cost-efficient at reducing inequalities, ECD interventions should target the many risks which children experience and should begin early in life while brain development is still at its most flexible. This is more effective than attempting to remedy cumulative deficits at a later stage in a child’s life (Engle, Fernald, Alderman, et al., 2011).

Shortfalls in ECD have historically been a challenge in Morocco, with children facing unequal development opportunities due to the circumstances of their birth (El-Kogali & Krafft, 2015; Krafft & El-Kogali, 2014). However, despite the scale of this problem, analyses for Morocco have only used data from 2003/04. More recent survey data have not been used to conduct research, identify developments over time, and update outcomes. This paper attempts to address this gap in the literature. It examines the roots of inequality in human and economic development in Morocco by focusing on the state of ECD, inequality in ECD, and trends over time by using a number of surveys covering the period between 2003 and 2012. This study helps 2