20-year study reveals which children perform significantly better than their peers
Tengrinews.kz — A 20-year study has found that children who attended pre-kindergarten classes at the age of four, before starting school, performed significantly better academically than peers who attended ordinary daycare centers focused mainly on supervision or were raised at home. The large-scale project was conducted by researchers from Florida International University and George Mason University, according to Naked Science.
The researchers tracked the long-term academic performance of 400,000 students in Miami-Dade County, from third grade through high school graduation. Since around 70 percent of the county’s population is Hispanic, the project became the largest study involving this ethnic group to date.
In Florida, formal schooling begins at age five with a mandatory kindergarten year. One year earlier, four-year-olds can attend Voluntary Prekindergarten, a free state-funded preschool program. The study found that children who completed this year-long preparatory program consistently earned higher grades and performed better on tests throughout their subsequent years of schooling.
The main reason for the success of the state programs turned out to be teacher qualifications and adherence to a structured school routine. Unlike daycare centers, where staff requirements are minimal, school-based pre-kindergarten groups strictly required educators to have relevant higher education qualifications.
“Our data challenge the skeptics’ view that working with young children is simply supervision that does not require a degree. A trained teacher understands child psychology and knows how to connect with young children. If a child spends these crucial years in front of a television or in a ‘sit quietly and don’t bother anyone’ environment with unqualified caregivers, they enter first grade unprepared both academically and emotionally,” study co-author Charles Bleiker explained.
To help parents choose the right preschool for their child, the researchers recommend paying attention to staff turnover, as attachment to a caregiver is particularly important for young children, gathering feedback from other families, and not hesitating to change institutions if the child feels uncomfortable there.
The study results were published in the scientific journal Early Childhood Research Quarterly.