This document provides information on eleven basic indicators of the well being of young children, their families, and communities worldwide. It consists of two parts: The first summarizes information on the importance of the early childhood period for children, the education system, and parents; describes the organization of efficient early childhood education programs; presents principles for early childhood education activities; defines major terms used in compiling statistics; and discusses the variety of ways in which early childhood education needs may be met and the collective responsibility of nations for their children's development and environment. The second part is a chart delineating worldwide statistical information on the "Basic Indicators on Young Children" in the child, family, community, and education areas. The wall-size chart lists the following information for each country, organized by continent or region: (1) number of children under 5 years; (2) the under-5 mortality rate; (3) the percentage of children under 5 years who are malnourished; (4) literacy rates for men; (5) literacy rates for women; (6) total fertility rates per woman; (7) gross national product per capita in U.S. dollars; (8) percentage of population with access to health care services; (9) percentage of population with access to safe water; (10) age range of the pre-primary age group; and (11) the pre-primary gross enrollment ratio. (KDFB)