School Readiness: Early Childhood Education Sparks School Success

By Author: Amanda Bernard
Total Articles: 17
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Social and emotional development, cognitive development and language skills can all be improved by enrolling your child in an early childhood education program (http://www.kindercare.com/our-programs/programs/). Developing these skills at an early age will ensure your child is ready to tackle the first grade and the many years of learning that follow.

More Than Academics
Day care programs that focus on more than just academics can provide opportunities for enhancing the whole child. It’s the combination of an academic curriculum and the development of life skills that can turn your child into a school superstar. We recommend a child care curriculum that includes these fundamental areas of study:

Language Arts and Reading - Your child will learn literature, phonics, handwriting, and language skills to help develop comprehension, build vocabulary, and create a lifelong interest in reading.
Math - Your child will build critical math skills through numbers, counting, sorting, and pattern ...
... lessons designed to lay the foundation necessary for first grade.
Art - Your child will learn about lines, shapes, and colors as he or she creates personal masterpieces and develops motor skills.
Science - Your child will explore the world around him or her through science activities, developing your child’s observation skills and learning key terms and concepts.
Social Studies - Your child will gain an understanding of people and places within his or her community, share stories from your family and culture with other children, and explore the origin and meaning of national symbols and holidays.

Research Results
The results of recent studies have confirmed the theory that there is a correlation between early education and future success in school. Several of these studies have followed children into adulthood to determine long-term effects of childhood programs. Here are some of the recent findings:

Children who participated in a part-day preschool program at ages 3 and 4 achieved a higher rate of high school completion and a lower rate of juvenile arrests.
‘Head Start’ participants improved their vocabulary, writing skills and social skills and continued to have better literacy and math skills during their kindergarten year.
Participants of the ‘Even Start’ early education program showed improved basic school readiness including recognition of colors, shapes and sizes.
Study of 3,000 infants and toddlers participating in an early education program not only showed improved cognitive language and social-emotional development, but their parents also scored better when measured on their knowledge of infant-toddler development.

Making the commitment to enrich your child’s early learning experience will improve their future performance and provide a solid foundation for a lifetime of learning.