Early Childhood Education Can Have Big Impacts…Even Decades Later

A recent article in the New York Times  outlines the results of a research study on the impact of early childhood education for poor families. The researchers followed two groups of children in North Carolina beginning in 1972. One group was placed in full time day care where they received meals and early childhood education. The other group received only formula. Researchers then followed the children's educational and health outcomes over the next several decades.

What they found was that the group with full time care showed a significant difference not only in cognitive abilities--by age 30 they were over 4 times more likely to graduate from college-- but also in overall health. The men in the treatment group were less likely to develop hypertension and more likely to have high levels of "good cholesterol." The women were less likely to develop pre-hypertension and more likely to adopt healthy habits such as exercise and eating nutritious foods.

Although the study was small, the impact is striking. Researchers hope this may give more weight to policy makers seeking increased funding for early childhood education in the US.

Here at Lamaze, we promote early childhood education by offering toddler playgroups, Little Scientist playgroups, and along with our partners, Signing Smart and Kindermusik. Any one of these classes gives kids a chance to learn and explore in a safe and friendly setting. We have new sessions of most of these classes starting soon, so check out our website for more details!