Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Wise words spoken, but even more specifically, early learning education is a far greater tool for success.
Studies have shown that a child’s earliest years of development are the most critical. The vast majority of neurons are developed between birth and age three, as this is the brain’s peak capacity to retain new information.
Since children are most receptive to information at a young age, early learning exposure plays an essential role in fostering mental development. Science shows that taking in new sights, sounds and information plays a paramount component in the formation of active neural pathways.
Let’s take a look at some additional benefits attributed to the onset of early learning!
Benefits of Early Learning
Perhaps the most fundamental elements of early learning are:
- Improved social skills
- Reduction in special needs services
- Better academic performance
- Longer attention spans
- An increase of informational retention
- Higher graduation rates at the high school level
- Reduced behavioral problems throughout school career
- Reduction in crime affiliations
Furthermore, every dollar that taxpayers spend on early-education averages out to thirteen dollars that is saved in future costs to our society!
Supported Research
Early learning education has proven, developmental benefits.
In recent years, a unique, 25-year study was conducted to highlight the impact of pre-school education into adulthood.
Nearly 900 Chicago children who attended the “Child-Parent Center Education Program” in the early 1980s were tracked down as participants for this comparative assessment.
Research conclusions were drawn from public records, administrative data and interviews with study participants, and comparisons were made to 500 Chicago youngsters of low-income standings (most of whom DID NOT attend preschool).
Researchers found the most enduring effects were a result of exposure to as little as one or two years of preschool, and intensive early childhood experiences accounted for an increase of intellectual skills, social adjustments and motivation.
$9,000 is the estimated cost per child for 18 months of preschool, but researchers’ cost-benefit analysis suggests this figure leads to $90,000 worth of benefits per child, in terms of: increased earnings, less criminal behavior and reduced mental health costs.
Among the study results:
- 80% of the preschool group finished high school, versus 75% of the others.
- Nearly 15% of the preschool group attended a four-year college, versus 11% of the others.
- 28% of the preschool group had skilled jobs requiring post-high school training, versus 21% of the others.
- The average annual adult income for the preschool group was about $11,600, versus $10,800 for the others.
- 14% of the preschool group had abused drugs in adulthood, versus 19% of the others.
- 48% of the preschool group had been arrested in adulthood, along with 15% who had been incarcerated versus 54% of the others who had been arrested (and the 21% who were incarcerated).
Exemplary research offered by the Digest of Educational Statistics show that two-year olds in learning care centers demonstrated greater cognitive skills than children in exclusive care of parents.
Furthermore, children who demonstrated a quicker grasp of motor skills were more likely to be in center-based care, rather than home-based care or in the care of a non-relative (ie. baby sitter).
In addition, four-year olds in center-based care were more inclined to develop early reading scales, expressive vocabulary, mathematics scales, color knowledge and fine motor skills, in contrast to those cared for exclusively by their parents, babysitters and other care arrangements.
As the data suggests, early learning exposure plays an important role in overall, child development. If you are a parent within the Albuquerque area and are in search of superior daycare services, consider the nurturing learning environments of ABC Preschool & Childcare! For further information, visit www.AlbuquerqueDayCare.org (and don’t forget to take a peak at their ‘Early Childhood Education’ infographic, which has provided the informational framework for this blog)!
sources:
http://web.mit.edu/workplacecenter/docs/Full%20Report.pdf
http://www.educationbug.org/a/early-childhood-education-statistics.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/10/preschool-better-jobs-arrests_n_875036.html
http://www.educationcorner.com/importance-of-early-childhood-education.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/early-childhood
http://readytolearndc.org/parents_why_early_ed.html
http://web.jhu.edu/CSOS/early_learning/
