Early childhood education is generally accepted as the most significant stage in child's life. This study is the first of its kind, investigating the place of pre-school education in the Iraqi educational system in relation to the economic, cultural, social and political factors in the country. It consists of two parts, the first part deals with demographic analysis, labour-force policies, development plans and the education system in the country. Part two examines pre-school education service in an empirical study taking into consideration the views of working mothers and all the staff involved in the delivery of the service. The study reaches at useful findings and makes recommendations for the improvement of the pre-school education in the country.