Early childhood education yields benefits for children once they enter elementary school, but longer-term benefits are more uncertain, a recent analysis published in the journal Science confirms, according to K-12 Dive.
Like the new study, previous research had concluded that center-based preschool programs gave young children an academic advantage early in their elementary school years. But the new study’s analysis of recent rigorous studies found that in some locations, those gains were null or dissipated over time.
“It’s settled that early childhood education is an essential component of any nation’s public policy; children are learning well before kindergarten, and parents are working. What is less settled, however, is how much we should expect preschool to be shaping achievement and well-being later in life,” says study co-author Jade Jenkins, an associate professor of education at the University of California, Irvine, in a statement.
In a separate study, a survey of 2,200 early childhood educators nationwide found nearly all — 97% — report a passion for working with young children. In addition, 87% said they take pride in their job, and three-fourths say they are satisfied with their work, according to the report from Teaching Strategies, an early education resource provider.
But when asked about students’ early literacy skills, just 28% of early education teachers said they were “very prepared” to teach early literacy. Most — 83% — said they were either not familiar or just somewhat familiar with the science of reading approach.
Several states have recently expanded instruction and professional development in science of reading practices that emphasizes phonics and the decoding of letters and sounds to learn words.
“In order to build a strong foundation for literacy, we must start in early childhood education, particularly in the critical year before kindergarten,” says Nicol Russell, vice president of implementation research at Teaching Strategies, in a statement on the report.
K-12 Dive
