One of the most important decisions parents face is whether or not they should send their three-year-old to preschool. Research, however, suggests that the benefits of preschool to a child’s development are substantial.
Strong evidence indicates that by the time they reach adulthood, children who attend preschool have higher education and income levels than children who skipped it. A study conducted by the Department of Education in the UK highlights the link between preschool attendance and success in school as a child grows older.
“Going to a high quality preschool was especially important when starting school and remained so beyond the age of 16,” the study said.
“It influences both attainment and progress in early school careers and set children on particularly beneficial learning trajectories, especially if they came from more disadvantaged backgrounds where it provided them with a better start to school.”
The key to these benefits lies in neuroscience, according to Alison Elliott, a professor of education at CQUniversity.
“Neuroscience has shown the early years, particularly birth to eight years, are critical for optimal learning and development,” Elliott wrote in The Conversation.
“In early childhood, we set the foundation for learning dispositions and life skills.”
From an economic perspective, sending more children to preschool is a worthwhile investment in the future. Early childhood education has a demonstrated positive impact on issues such as literacy and school dropouts.
“Preschool education has positive effects on early language and literacy and school achievement,” Elliot wrote.
“A recent study showed two years of preschool had a cost benefit ratio of four, meaning for every one dollar invested, four dollars are returned to the economy.”
There are challenges however, chief among them being an acute shortage of early childhood teachers and professionals globally. In Singapore, the Early Childhood Development Agency launched an ambitious plan in 2016 to increase the number of teachers to 20,000 by 2020.
With research backing the importance of getting more three-year-olds into preschool, it’s becoming imperative that this labor gap is filled.