This interdisciplinary volume aims to deepen and enrich the reader's understanding of children's lives in the Global South. At a time when provision for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is expanding across the globe, this book highlights issues around early childhood development as well as exploring the importance of including local traditions, culture and knowledge in developing professional practices in the sector. A range of international contributors, including key scholars in the field of early childhood, draw on topics identified for discussion at the Early Childhood in Developing World Contexts International Conference, held at University College Cork, Ireland, in 2011. Much of the exciting research being undertaken in this area remains unrecognized, and the volume aims to communicate some of the important debates currently taking place. The essays are organized into three broad themes: children's lives and livelihoods; early years policy and practice; and language and culture.