Early childhood development and academic development

 

Literature Summary

Early childhood, particularly the first 5 years of life, impacts long-term social, cognitive, emotional, and physical development . Healthy development in early childhood helps prepare children for the educational experiences of kindergarten and beyond. Early childhood development and education opportunities are affected by various environmental and social factors, including early life stress, socioeconomic status, relationships with parents and caregivers, and access to early education programs.

Early life stress and adverse events can have a lasting impact on the mental and physical health of children. Specifically, early life stress can contribute to developmental delays and poor health outcomes in the future . Stressors such as physical abuse, family instability, unsafe neighborhoods, and poverty can cause children to have inadequate coping skills, difficulty regulating emotions, and reduced social functioning compared to other children their age.

Additionally, exposure to environmental hazards, such as lead in the home, can negatively affect a child’s health and cause cognitive developmental delays. Research shows that lead exposure disproportionally affects children from racial/ethnic minority and low-income households and can adversely affect their readiness for school.

The socioeconomic status of young children’s families and communities also significantly affects their educational outcomes. Specifically, poverty has been shown to negatively influence the academic achievement of young children.  Research shows that, in their later years, children from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to repeat grades and drop out of high school. Children.

arly childhood development and education programs can also help reduce educational gaps. For example, Head Start is a federally funded early childhood program that provides comprehensive services for children from low-income families.Head Start aims to improve health outcomes, increase learning and social skills, and close the gap in readiness to learn for children from low-income families and at-risk children. Enrolling children in full-day kindergarten after the completion of preschool has also been shown to improve academic achievement.

Furthermore, extended early childhood programs for children up to 3rd grade, also referred to as booster programs, can provide comprehensive educational, health, and social services to complement standard early childhood and kindergarten programs These programs help sustain and bolster early developmental and academic gains. Characteristics of such programs include:

• Low student-teacher ratio
• Focus on basic skills
• Teacher training
• Creation of school-parent liaisons
• School meals
• Provision of transportation to and from school
• Night courses for parents
• Health care services and referrals
• Home visitation