Education in early childhood can affect how a child thinks, behaves, socializes and learns. The Public Policy Forum compared a multitude of educational studies to find that preschool education can indeed impact a child during early life and beyond. A few of these studies provide little evidence that early childhood education affects certain categories of development. But most of them support the conclusion that preschool education impacts child development in some way.
Effects
Early education can increase cognitive skills in children, according to Katherine A. Magnuson and her colleagues who report in the February 2007 issue of "Economics of Education Review" that children from under-served communities who attended preschool showed more cognitive improvement than their peers. Columbia University researchers confirm this connection through their study published in the July 2003 issue of "Developmental Psychology." They found that prematurely born 8 year olds who attended 400 or more days of preschool at ages 2 and 3 years old scored higher on IQ tests than prematurely born 8 year olds of similar backgrounds who attended preschool less often.
Types
But just attending a preschool may not be enough. A child's development may have just as much to do with what type of early learning environment he is in. Magnuson found that, after entering kindergarten, children who had been enrolled in preschool programs not located in public schools displayed more behavioral problems than children who attended preschools located within public schools. E.S. Peisner-Feinberg and his colleagues at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill published a study in the September/October issue of "Child Development" that showed that children who attended high-quality community-based childcare centers behaved better through second grade compared to children who had been enrolled in lesser-quality daycare centers.
Outcomes
Improved cognitive skills can lead to improved academic results. Magnuson's study indicated that children enrolled in prekindergarten performed better in reading and mathematics when they entered grade school. Children enrolled in early childhood education programs are less likely to be held back a grade in school, according to the Public Policy Forum. These children also have a decreased likelihood of being enrolled in special education remedial programs.
Features
Children enrolled in high-quality daycare centers had better social skills than children who were not enrolled in such centers, maintains Peisner-Feinberg. He and his colleagues found that social skill development was highest among children who formed close and affectionate relationships with preschool or daycare center caregivers.
Influence
Early childhood education---received at home, in preschool, in a daycare center or elsewhere---can affect a child's physical, mental and emotional development. The brain of a child reared in safe, loving and secure environments is more likely to develop in a normal and healthy manner compared to that of a child traumatized at least once, according to the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child.
References
- Public Policy Forum: Research On Early Childhood Education Outcomes
- "Economics and Education Review"; Does Prekindergarten Improve School Preparation and Performance? Katherine A. Magnuson et al; February 2007
- "Developmental Psychology"; Sustained Effects of High Participation in an Early Intervention for Low-birth-weight Premature Infants; J.L. Hill et al; July 2003
- "Child Development"; Preschool Quality and Development; E.S. Peisner-Feinberg et al; 2001
- National Scientific Council on the Developing Child: Persistent Fear and Anxiety Can Affect Young Children's Learning and Development
