Lifelong Gains
Investing in early childhood education creates upward mobility by providing all children with a solid foundation for long-term success in life. These benefits do not end with one child but extend to their entire families and communities in the years to come.
Here are five things to know about child care and lifelong gains.
- Studies show that access to quality early learning programs can reduce educational and opportunity gaps between children from low and high-income families at kindergarten entry. Kindergarten readiness is a key predictor of a child’s long-term academic success.
- Children participating in high-quality early learning programs have higher graduation rates. Attending early learning programs is linked to a 6% increase in high school graduation and a 5.5% increase in attendance at a four-year college.
- Adults who had quality early childhood education as children are more likely to be employed full-time, own a home, and have a savings account.
- Adults who participated in high-quality early education programs as children, like Head Start saw long-term health benefits, including reduced rates of depression, alcohol and tobacco use, and cardiovascular disease.
- Research shows that Head Start improves the parenting practices of parents while their child is attending the program, as well as their own children decades later. Supportive parental involvement contributes to a child’s long term success in school and life.
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Posts
Report Examines Adverse Childhood Experiences in Early Childhood
Research shows that young children develop 1 million new neural connections every second making early childhood a crucial for long-term development. Research also finds that children’s social environments play an …
Celebrating the Week of the Young Child!
This week, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is celebrating their annual Week of the Young Child. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, this week …
‘The Brain Architects’: A New Early Childhood Development Podcast
The early years of a child’s life are the building blocks on which they will form intellectual, social, and emotional skills to last a lifetime. A new podcast aims to …
New Research Demonstrates the Importance of Early Learning — and What Comes After
In addition to the proven life-long benefits, the overwhelming research shows that children living in poverty who experience quality early childhood education programs are more prepared for school, both behaviorally …
‘All Our Kin’ Highlights the Important Work of Family Child Care Providers
Children can have a high-quality early childhood experience in any number of settings, whether it’s a classroom, a church basement, or like a majority of children in child care today, …
Head Start Supports Children and Families, Read the Story of One Family from Washington State
As Congress returns from the district work period and continues their efforts to pass legislation to fund the government before the end of September, we know our elected leaders will …
Study Backs Up Research on Success of Tennessee’s Voluntary Pre-K Program
Earlier this week, researchers from Vanderbilt University and the Annenberg Institute at Brown University released a new working paper reaffirming the success of Tennessee’s Voluntary Pre-K (TN-VPK) program. The researchers …
AAP Report Reinforces Role Pediatricians Can Play in Promoting School Readiness
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a new report yesterday which highlights the role pediatricians play in supporting healthy development of young children so they are ready to learn …
Another Major Study Debunks Head Start “Fadeout” Myth from Flawed “Impact Study”
Since 1965, Head Start has provided comprehensive early learning and development services to more than 35 million children from low-income families. Research shows that participation in Head Start results in …
Research: High-Quality ECE Strengthens Families and Can Break the Cycle of Poverty
A new analysis from Nobel laureate economist James Heckman finds that targeted, high-quality early childhood investments have the power to lift multiple generations out of poverty. This research demonstrates the …
