IMPACT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ON INFANT AND TODDLER COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
The cognitive growth of newborns and toddlers has been found to be significantly influenced by early childhood education (Barnett, 2011). Children who take part in high-quality early childhood education programs are more likely to succeed in school and have a higher general intelligence, according to studies (Barnett, 2011).
The executive function abilities of children who participated in early childhood education programs were shown to be higher than those of children who did not (Diamond & Lee, 2011).
Social and emotional growth, such as the reduction of behavior issues and the enhancement of social skills, can be positively influenced by early childhood education, according to another study (Bierman et al., 2008). The success of early childhood education programs, however, depends heavily on the caliber of such programs. Children’s brain development can be stunted by poor-quality programs (Barnett, 2011).
The achievement gap is not helped by the fact that not all socioeconomic groups have equal access to early childhood education programs (Barnett, 2011). Remember that there is no universal formula for success when it comes to teaching young children.
According to research by Diamond and Lee (2011), certain types of programs may be more effective for various groups of children. Parental participation, teacher credentials, and course content may all have an impact on how successful a preschool or kindergarten experience is (Barnett, 2011).
The cognitive growth of newborns and toddlers may be significantly influenced by early childhood education. However, for these benefits to really stick, it’s crucial that all kids can get into the best possible programs.
References:
Barnett, W. S. (2011). Effectiveness of early educational intervention. Science, 333(6045), 975-978.
Bierman, K. L., Domitrovich, C. E., Nix, R. L., Gest, S. D., Welsh, J. A., Greenberg, M. T., & Blair, C. (2008). Promoting academic and social-emotional school readiness: The Head Start REDI program. Child Development, 79(6), 1802-1817.
Diamond, A., & Lee, K. (2011). Interventions shown to aid executive function development in children 4 to 12 years old. Science, 333(6045), 959-964.