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
Black History Month: Sharing Antiracist Research and Resources in Early Childhood Development
As Black History Month comes to a close, the FFYF is taking the opportunity to share new stories and research from partners and allies on how dismantling racism and uplifting …
High-Quality Early Learning & Care: Understanding the Proven Benefits & Need for Investment
Economic development starts with early childhood development—and the best investments ensure all children who need it have access to high-quality early learning and care opportunities. Evidence shows that increased access …
New Report from OECD: Supporting Meaningful Interactions in Early Childhood Education and Care
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently released its sixth Starting Strong report, which includes data from 26 countries and jurisdictions throughout the world. The report focused on …
First Lady Jill Biden & the Duchess of Cambridge Discuss Importance of Early Childhood Education
Today, First Lady Jill Biden and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, visited a classroom of young learners to see firsthand the importance of high-quality early education opportunities for children from …
FFYF’S Sarah Rittling Joins ‘Engage for Women’ Co-Founder to Discuss Opportunities for Progress on Child Care & Early Learning
This week, FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling joined Engage for Women, a bipartisan organization that seeks to promote women’s economic security, to discuss the opportunity to build a child care …
New Research Examines the Lifelong Impact of Racism on a Child’s Development
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and sustained exposure to trauma are shown to have a negative impact on a child’s development that can last a lifetime. New analysis from the Harvard …
MIT Study Reveals Long-Term Benefits of High-Quality Early Childhood Education
This morning, the School Effectiveness and Inequality Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) released the findings of a new study on the long-term effects of Boston’s preschool program. …
ZERO TO THREE Releases State of Babies Yearbook: 2021
ZERO TO THREE released the State of Babies Yearbook: 2021, an in-depth report on how state and federal policies and the COVID-19 pandemic impact the lives of families and their …
National Report Examines State Preschool Policies in 2019-2020, Including Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic
The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) released the 2020 State of Preschool report, an annual survey of state preschool policies, which includes recent data on how the COVID-19 …
