WHY IS EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SO IMPORTANT?
Research now clearly documents that eighty-five percent of a child’s brain has developed before the child turns five. This is the period of cognitive, social emotional and sensory motor skill development that provides the basic foundation for children to enter school ready to learn. Quality early education experiences are important for all children. For those who are potentially at risk, these experiences allow children to enter school on a par with more advantaged children. For example: – By the age of 21, children who received high quality child care (early education) had significantly better math and reading skills. They were more than twice as likely to go to a four-year college as children in the control group, and on average had their first child later that their peers.
