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 For the study, researchers examined data on 1,539 minority youth in
high-poverty Chicago neighborhoods who were part of a program
designed to give kids small classes, engaging instruction that helps
them develop self-control and good communication skills, and
encourage parent involvement in education. Kids entered the program
at age 3 and received help for just preschool or continuing through
third grade.
Overall, kids who went through this program completed more years of
education by age 35 than the 550 children at other schools that
didn’t offer the program, researchers report in JAMA Pediatrics.
“We’ve known that early childhood education can impact adult
outcomes, high school completion, reduced special education, reduced
crime through enhancing school performance and better adjustment,
values about education, and positive peer relations,” said senior
study author Arthur Reynolds of the Institute of Child Development
at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
What the current study adds is fresh evidence from several decades
of follow-up that shows early education programs may directly impact
college attendance and completion, Reynolds said by email.
The program in the study offered kids intensive instruction in math
and reading as well as frequent educational field trips. It also
encouraged parents to volunteer in classrooms and offered them job
training, parenting classes, education and social services.
The program got results even when kids only participated during
preschool. Among this group, almost 16 percent got an associate’s
degree or higher, compared with 11 percent among the kids who didn’t
get to participate in the program.
When kids stayed in the program through third grade, the results
were even better. Among this group, 19 percent of kids in the
program got at least an associate’s degree, compared with 13 percent
of the other children.
Whether kids were in the program through third grade or only in
preschool, they were also more likely to get a bachelor’s degree and
a master’s degree.
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The study wasn’t a controlled experiment that randomly assigned some
children to participate in the program, and it wasn’t designed to
prove whether or how this type of early childhood education program
might directly lead to success in higher education.
Even so, the findings offer fresh evidence that providing more years
of early childhood education support may offer them the best odds of
lasting academic success, said Seana Gall of the Menzies Institute
for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania in Australia.
That’s because starting early with pre-school gives kids a chance to
learn how school works, get a feel for the structure of the school
day, learn to trust teachers and develop friendships, Gall, who
wasn’t involved in the study, said by email.
“Academically, early participation can boost cognitive skills that
lay the foundations for learning at school,” Gall said. “Involving
families probably created an environment where learning and school
were valued, with this having ongoing implications for motivation
and success.”
From a practical standpoint, however, early preschool may not be
available or affordable, but even a limited amount of preschool can
still help, said Alison Cohen, a public health and education
researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, who wasn’t
involved in the study.
“It is also likely that any preschool is better than no preschool in
preparing children for elementary school and beyond,” Cohen said by
email. “In addition to taking action for their own children, parents
can also advocate for policy changes to scale up affordable,
high-quality preschool options for all families in their area.”
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2DP5pXp JAMA Pediatrics, online January 29,
2018
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