However, the potential causal nature of the link between education and health is still subject to a certain degree of scrutiny, and these data should be interpreted with caution as the conditions through which education and health are correlated are not yet fully understood. Therefore, mothers need high-quality, affordable ECEC so that they can return to work with confidence that their children are well cared for, and achieve a better work balance. However, during the past decade there have been signs of convergence among OECD countries, and the concept of services for children under the age of 3 is progressively broadening to include educational, gender equality, social integration, and family support objectives.