Much more can be done to understand how these programs work and how to make them work better, but the evidence overwhelmingly points to the value of investing in
quality early childhood development from birth to age five.
Not exact matches
Proponents of greater public funding for
early childhood education (ECE) argue that too many children, often those
from challenged communities and homes, arrive for kindergarten with insurmountable
development gaps and that low - income and disadvantaged children who are exposed to high -
quality pre-K programs gain lifelong benefits.
The Programs in Professional Education (PPE) institute, The Leading Edge of
Early Childhood Education, is structured to highlight the best of what we currently know about healthy child development and high - quality systems, schools and classrooms of early learning, while also bringing in new thinking from other fields to provide insights that bear on the design of preK improvement and expan
Early Childhood Education, is structured to highlight the best of what we currently know about healthy child
development and high -
quality systems, schools and classrooms of
early learning, while also bringing in new thinking from other fields to provide insights that bear on the design of preK improvement and expan
early learning, while also bringing in new thinking
from other fields to provide insights that bear on the design of preK improvement and expansion.
For example, Head Start has been and continues to be a leader in its focus on family engagement and comprehensive services, on children with disabilities, and on children
from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds; in its commitments to accountability for program
quality; in its investments in the professional
development of the early childhood education workforce that led to the development of the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential; and in its commitment to and investment in research and evaluation to strengthen quality, improve child outcomes, and reduce the achie
development of the
early childhood education workforce that led to the
development of the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential; and in its commitment to and investment in research and evaluation to strengthen quality, improve child outcomes, and reduce the achie
development of the Child
Development Associate (CDA) credential; and in its commitment to and investment in research and evaluation to strengthen quality, improve child outcomes, and reduce the achie
Development Associate (CDA) credential; and in its commitment to and investment in research and evaluation to strengthen
quality, improve child outcomes, and reduce the achievement gap.
Findings
from studies of high
quality early childhood education experiences illustrate that such services for our youngest learners, infants and toddlers, have long - lasting and positive impacts on their
development, learning abilities, and capacity to regulate their emotions (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; NI
development, learning abilities, and capacity to regulate their emotions (National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development; NI
Development; NICHD, 2003).
This review examines findings
from research on four targets of
early childhood professional
development: 1) strengthening human and / or social capital; 2) strengthening practices at institutions or organizations providing professional
development; 3) strengthening
early educator practices related to specific child outcomes; and, 4) strengthening overall
quality in classroom or group settings.
New research
from Professor James Heckman also shows that high
quality early childhood education can improve the
development of lifelong character and critical thinking skills — the skills employers need to fill the jobs of the future.
The letter crystallizes an overwhelming body of research in human
development, psychology, education, and economics, which details how high -
quality early childhood education programs for children
from birth to age five are one of the best economic bets we can make.
Cultural competence is a core component of high -
quality early childhood education programs, and it is imcumbent upon states to ensure that they are attending to the critical questions and implications of diversity, equity, and cultural competence at every stage of the
development and implementation of their QRIS,
from standards and curriculum, to outreach and engagement, to monitoring and evaluation.
However, as a consequence of young mothers being required to work, infants may be placed in child care at a very
early age, and mothers often require a patchwork of solutions, some of which may be substandard.40
Quality child care and early childhood education are extremely important for the promotion of cognitive and socioemotional development of infants and toddlers.41 Yet, child care may cost as much as housing in most areas of the United States, 25 % of the budget of a family with 2 children, and infant care can cost as much as college.42 Many working families benefit from the dependent care tax credit for the cost of child care, allowing those families to place their children in a certified or higher - quality environment.43 However, working families who do not have sufficient income to pay taxes are not able to realize this support for their children, because the credit is not refundable or paid to families before taxation.44 Therefore, some of the most at - risk children who might benefit from high - quality early childhood education are not eligible for financial s
Quality child care and
early childhood education are extremely important for the promotion of cognitive and socioemotional
development of infants and toddlers.41 Yet, child care may cost as much as housing in most areas of the United States, 25 % of the budget of a family with 2 children, and infant care can cost as much as college.42 Many working families benefit
from the dependent care tax credit for the cost of child care, allowing those families to place their children in a certified or higher -
quality environment.43 However, working families who do not have sufficient income to pay taxes are not able to realize this support for their children, because the credit is not refundable or paid to families before taxation.44 Therefore, some of the most at - risk children who might benefit from high - quality early childhood education are not eligible for financial s
quality environment.43 However, working families who do not have sufficient income to pay taxes are not able to realize this support for their children, because the credit is not refundable or paid to families before taxation.44 Therefore, some of the most at - risk children who might benefit
from high -
quality early childhood education are not eligible for financial s
quality early childhood education are not eligible for financial support.
These programs include the Nurse Family Partnership, 16,17 Healthy Families America, 18,19 Healthy Start, 20,21
Early Head Start, 22,23 the Comprehensive Child
Development Program, 24 — 26 and
Early Start.27, 28 All of these programs have been evaluated by using randomized control designs but findings
from these trials have been mixed, with some programs showing benefits and others failing to show benefits.29, 30 In a recent review, Howard and Brooks - Gunn30 found that home - visiting programs had reported benefits for a number of outcomes, including child abuse, child health care,
quality of home environment, parenting, parental depression, and
childhood cognitive skills.
Decades of research on brain
development and outcomes
from early learning interventions have clearly demonstrated that children thrive when they have consistent access to high -
quality early childhood programs starting at birth or even before and continuing until they enter kindergarten.
As research across neuroscience, developmental psychology, and economics demonstrates,
early social - emotional, physical, and cognitive skills beget later skill acquisition, setting the groundwork for success in school and the workplace.15 However, an analysis of nationally representative data shows that 65 percent of child care centers do not serve children age 1 or younger and that 44 percent do not serve children under age 3 at all.16 Consequently, child care centers only have the capacity to serve 10 percent of all children under age 1 and 25 percent of all children under age 3.17 High -
quality child care during this critical period can support children's physical, cognitive, and social - emotional
development.18 Attending a high -
quality early childhood program such as preschool or Head Start is particularly important for children in poverty or
from other disadvantaged backgrounds and can help reduce the large income - based disparities in achievement and
development.19
The potential return
from a focused, high -
quality early childhood development program is as high as 16 percent per year.
Conducting a periodic statewide needs assessment concerning the
quality and availability of
early childhood education and
development programs and services for children
from birth to school entry
New Jersey The Schumann Fund for New Jersey
Early Childhood Development: We support efforts to heighten the chances of academic and social success for young children, especially the urban poor, by supporting programs and policies that provide high quality early childhood education and care to children from birth to eight years
Early Childhood Development: We support efforts to heighten the chances of academic and social success for young children, especially the urban poor, by supporting programs and policies that provide high quality early childhood education and care to children from birth to eight y
Childhood Development: We support efforts to heighten the chances of academic and social success for young children, especially the urban poor, by supporting programs and policies that provide high
quality early childhood education and care to children from birth to eight years
early childhood education and care to children from birth to eight y
childhood education and care to children
from birth to eight years old.
Published in October 2013, research
from Professor Heckman, Rodrigo Pinto (University of Chicago) and Peter Savelyev (Vanderbilt University) revealed that non-cognitive skill
development, not IQ enhancement, is the primary factor underlying the success of high -
quality early childhood education.
Quality economic returns come from quality investments in early childhood devel
Quality economic returns come
from quality investments in early childhood devel
quality investments in
early childhood development.
Over the last 30 years, the Ounce has been dedicated to ensuring that all children — especially those
from low - income families — have high -
quality early childhood experiences by administering model programs, providing high -
quality professional
development opportunities, and advocating for innovative policy solutions at the federal, state and local levels.
General indices regarding mental health of mothers have been associated with their children's sleep, and less well - organized sleep patterns have been noted in children
from poorly functioning families.113) Mothers of children with sleep disturbances exhibited much higher psychological stress than did controls, obtaining increased scores on all factors of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ).114) Children's sleep
quality significantly predicted that of their mothers, with maternal sleep
quality associated with stress and fatigue.115) Moreover, infants of mothers with low levels of depression and anxiety were more likely to recover
from sleep problems than those with high levels of depression and anxiety after controlling for the influence of attachment patterns.116) Sleep disturbances in
early childhood were positively related to negative maternal perceptions of their child, 117) potentially interfering with the
development of beneficial parent - child interactions.