Cambodia was one of six countries that participated in the East Asia- Pacific Early Child Development Scales (EAP-ECDS) project, supported by UNICEF- East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO), the Open Society Foundations, and the Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC).

The main objective of this project was to equip stakeholders across East Asia and the Pacific with a common measurement tool to assess the holistic developmental progress of children ranging in age from three to five years. It was felt that stakeholders in Cambodia including governments, universities, research institutions and donor partners, would be able to utilise the data garnered from this project to promote early development and learning, and prevent the loss of human potential by investing in the early years.