Early Childhood Development
Learning development starts long before a child begins kindergarten. A child’s development is strengthened through regular interaction and stimulation in both the home and in quality early learning settings.
Here are five things to know about child care and childhood development:
- The brain is most flexible and adaptable to learning during the earliest years of life. More than 1 million new neural connections are formed every second in the first few years of life.
- Children are already rehearsing how to produce language at 7 months old.
- When a child enters kindergarten ready for school, there is an 82% chance they will master basic skills by age 11, compared with a 45% chance for children who are not school ready.
- High-quality early childhood education has a long-term effect on children’s cognitive and socioemotional development through kindergarten and beyond. It’s also shown to help children improve attentiveness, regulate their emotions, and develop social connections.
- Attending preschool is shown to reduce the likelihood that a child repeats a grade by 15%.
Learn more:
Posts
ZERO TO THREE Releases State of Babies 2023 Yearbook
ZERO TO THREE recently released the State of Babies Yearbook: 2023, an in-depth report on how state and federal policies have impacted the lives of families and their young babies. …
How States Are Using PDG B-5 Systems Building Grants to Support Infants and Toddlers
The BUILD Initiative, ZERO TO THREE, and Start Early, recently released a new brief highlighting the strategies states are using to support infants and toddlers in their Preschool Development Grant …
FFYF’S 2023 State Fact Sheets
Our new analysis of all 50 states and Washington, D.C. shows that child care and early learning programs have tremendous impacts on young children, their families, and the economy at …
NIEER Report Shows Importance of Including Family Child Care Programs in Publicly-Funded Pre-K
The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) recently released “Including Family Child Care (FCC) Programs in Publicly-Funded Pre-K: Conditions for Success”, a report demonstrating the benefits of including family …
NIEER Study Shows Preschool Participation Has Returned to Pre-Pandemic Levels
A new survey from The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) found that fall 2022 preschool participation rates have returned to pre-pandemic 2019 levels. According to NIEER’s Preschool Learning …
Inequitable Infant and Toddler Discipline Practices and the Need for Better Data
Conversations around child care accessibility usually focus on program cost and availability—Is a family able to find a program within their budget? Are the location and hours convenient? How long …
New Funding Opportunity for Tribal MIECHV
Earlier this month, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announced a grant opportunity for tribes to access funding for the FY 2023 Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting …
Report: States are Making Progress in Creating Integrated ECE Systems
Last week, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) released a state-by-state report analyzing the integration and efficiency of early care and education (ECE) systems. This report serves as a follow-up to …
FFYF Federal Guide to Early Learning and Care Programs
The 118th Congress has the opportunity to invest in America’s children, working families, and the economy through high-quality early childhood education. This resource book is an introduction to the foundational …
Study Shows ECE Improves Long-Term Outcomes
A new longitudinal study, “Kindergarten through Grade 3 Outcomes Associated with Participation in High-Quality Early Care and Education: A RCT Follow-Up Study”, found that high-quality early care and education (ECE) …
New Resource Highlights State Policies and Progress Focused on Infants & Toddlers
On October 13, thousands of policymakers, scholars, and practitioners across the nation joined the National Prenatal-to-3 Research to Policy Summit. At the summit, the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center unveiled the …
The Necessity of MIECHV Reauthorization: Economic Benefit
The fourth and final part of FFYF’s blog series on the necessity of MIECHV reauthorization focuses on economic impacts. Given the evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of MIECHV, the program presents …
