In Poland centre-based education and care for children from birth to the age of entry into compulsory school education, i.e. 7 years, is provided in creches ("zlobki") for children aged 0-3 years and in nursery schools ("przedszkola") for children from 3 years of age to the age of entry into primary school. Creches are part of the healthcare system; these are institutions offering healthcare services which include disease prevention and provision of care for children of up to 3 years of age while their parents or guardians are working. Nursery schools are part of the education system, and their operational arrangements are laid down in the Act on the Education System. Pre-primary education is provided for children aged 3 to 5 years. This paper contains the following parts: (1) General approach to early childhood education and care (ECEC) and definitions of risk; (2) Access to early childhood education and care; (3) Quality in early childhood education and care; (4) Funding; (5) Transition to compulsory schooling; and (6) Statistics. [For the complete report, see ED539138.]