Budget 2026 Outlook: Shruti Madhavan Advocates Stronger Support for Early Childhood Education and Care 

Shruti Madhavan’s article was published in Brainfeed Magazine ahead of the Union Budget 2026, where she shared her views on the need for stronger policy support for sectors that enable women’s workforce participation. In the article, Shruti, Senior Vice President at KLAY Preschools and Daycare, urged policymakers to extend their focus beyond nutrition and health to include Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). 

She highlighted the evolving needs of the care economy and emphasised that quality childcare is essential to help more women continue working. With increasing focus on women’s workforce participation across industries, Shruti shared that the upcoming budget should prioritise ECEC and provide targeted support and subsidies to organisations and government bodies working in this space. 

Shruti also spoke about the importance of hands-on, experience-based learning in the early years for the effective implementation of NEP 2020, which would require greater investment in training teachers and early childcare workers, especially those caring for children under six. She further stressed the need to recognise early childhood education and care as essential social infrastructure, similar to healthcare. 

Additionally, she called for stronger public–private partnerships to scale affordable, high-quality childcare, particularly in urban centres where the needs of working families continue to grow. 

Overall, the article highlights the importance of recognising the care economy as a key driver of women’s empowerment and workforce growth. 

This article was originally published in brainfeedmagazine.com.