Preschool Education

The Importance Of Preschool Education

Last Updated Aug 20, 2008 01:33 AM

"Longitudinal studies, some of which have followed preschool graduates all the way into adulthood, have identified many positive and significant relationships between preschool participation and taskrelated, social, and attitudinal outcomes." (COTTON AND CONKLIN 2001) In recent years, significant reports and studies from across the world have highlighted the importance of the early childhood years.

For example, the Effective Provision of Preschool Education Project (the EPPE Project), identified four key findings on the impact of attending a preschool centre:
• preschool experience, compared to none, enhances children’s development;
• the duration of attendance is important with an earlier start being related to better intellectual development and improved independence, concentration and sociability;
• full-time attendance led to no better gains for children than part-time provision;
• disadvantaged children in particular can benefit significantly from good quality preschool experience, especially if they attend centres that cater for a mixture of children from different social backgrounds.

The EPPE research indicates "Preschool can play an important part in combating social exclusion and promoting inclusion by offering disadvantaged children, in particular a better start to primary school." (EPPE 2003) Other key studies from across the world indicate a range of benefits for children and society in the provision of preschool education.
These include:
• significant reduction in poverty;
• significant reduction in later behavioural and learning problems;
• lower levels of absenteeism;
• fewer referrals for remedial classes or special education;
• fewer retentions.

Preschool students are less likely to repeat grades;
• greater social and emotional maturity.

Those who attend preschool received higher teacher ratings on measures of social and emotional maturity;
• significant gains for early intervention for children of lower socioeconomic groups within communities.
(CANADIAN EARLY YEARS STUDY, TREMBLAY 1999, US EARLY YEARS STUDY 1998, EPPE UK 2003) "A year of preschool is about two thirds of the cost of being retained in the early years of school or secondary school, and about one third the cost of special education placement.
(REYNOLDS 1995) "Economic conditions in early childhood may be far more important for children’s ability, behaviour and achievement than conditions later in childhood." (SHONKOFF 2001) Preschool helps establish the foundations of early literacy and numeracy for children in their early childhood years.
Professor Bridie Raban in her report Just the Beginning, DETYA Research Report 2001, stated the importance of literacy for young children within the preschool program: "Services for preschool children should be available for each and every child, not only those identified as ‘at risk’.
This is because of what we know about brain development during the first years of life and the ‘critical’ periods for the establishment of crucial human behaviours, both cognitive and social." (RABAN 2001) Empirical and anecdotal evidence suggests strongly that children who have not had the opportunity to attend a preschool program may be disadvantaged when they begin school.
Children without a preschool experience have greater levels of difficulty in making the transition to the first year of school, take longer to settle into the routines of a classroom and find it harder to respond appropriately to tasks and expectations.
Children with additional needs who have not attended preschool may also be disadvantaged.
Examples include hearing, sight, nutrition, and behavioural problems.
It was noted by a number of professionals and teachers across Australia that many children who do not attend a preschool program are less likely to have been screened for particular hearing, sight and health issues.
These children are at more risk of not receiving the necessary early intervention before entering school.

"Early intervention services for children living in poverty that are provided during the first years of life can reduce subsequent rates of grade retention and use of special child services in middle childhood." "In suburbs where there is a high level proportion of vulnerable children the prognosis for these children if no intervention occurs, is likely to be poor." (HART ET AL 2003) The OECD thematic review of early childhood education and care report states: "Integrated and coordinated approaches with strong and equal partnerships with education are key elements which are likely to promote equitable access to quality early childhood programs.
A systematic and integrated approach to policy development and implementation calls for a clear vision for children from birth to 8, and coordinated policy frameworks at a centralised level.
A lead ministry that works in cooperation with other departments can foster coherent and participatory policy development.
A strong and equal partnership with the education system supports lifelong learning, encourages smooth transition and recognises early childhood as an important part of education." (OECD 2001) It is evident that access to a high quality preschool education program provides a significant basis from which important foundations of literacy, numeracy, learning, behaviours, and future life opportunities can be developed.
Preschool education in Australia At the current time preschool education in Australia is the responsibility of each state and territory.
In 1974 72% of Commonwealth funds for children’s services were spent on preschool education.
From 1997, the Commonwealth began the process of transferring responsibility for preschool education to the states.
(AEU 1998) Prior to 1986, the Commonwealth had contributed block grants to each state and territory towards the cost of preschool.

These were stopped in 1985.
The Commonwealth does provide some funding towards preschool education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
In October 2003 the Commonwealth government released its paper, the National Agenda for Early Childhood.
The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Larry Anthony, wrote in the introduction: "Developing a national agenda for early childhood is a major government initiative.
The first of its kind in the history of Australia, the National Agenda will set directions and actions for how we can best support parents and respond to young children’s needs in the years to come." The report indicates that the majority of comments received through the consultation period stressed that "Early childhood should be a priority for government investment." It also stated that "Service providers and non-government organisations commented on wide disparities between early learning and care services—in terms of operation, quality, affordability and accessibility…the current system is confusing and unworkable for some families, and particularly disadvantages those children most in need…parents agreed." In terms of preschool education, the following comments were included in the Commonwealth report: "There was an equally strong view, especially from the education sector, that the year before school is extremely important to child development.
For many, the ideal solution is a free, quality early learning program in the year before school for all children, or at least for disadvantaged children." However, the national agenda indicated that the federal government did not propose to alter existing funding or traditional areas of national and state government responsibility.
The report acknowledged that, "Some expressed disappointment that no changes were to be made." In April 2004, the Commonwealth government launched a new early childhood strategy.
In this initiative, preschool education was not identified as part of the federal government’s plan.
This reflects the earlier position that responsibility for preschool would remain within each state and territory.
Childcare and early intervention are critical aspects of early childhood in Australia and this is reflected in the federal government’s recent announcements.
It appears a great anomaly that whilst the federal government is now recognising the importance of the early childhood years, preschool education continues to be left to individual states and territories to support, fund, manage and administer.
Preschool education needs to be part of the federal government’s commitment to early childhood years.

See also Preschool Education 482 1 - 6