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An Office of the Administration for Children & Families
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Publication Date: November 8, 2023
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- File Size: 776.45 KB
- Pages: 14
- Published: 2023
Introduction
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The majority of children from birth to age 5 in the United States regularly attend early care and education (ECE) programs. There are many types of ECE in the United States. Some are publicly funded, such as the federal Head Start and Early Head Start programs and state-funded pre-kindergarten. Others are privately funded community-based businesses such as home-based and center-based child care. Given the substantial time that young children spend in ECE, it is important that parents and policymakers understand how ECE supports children’s development and learning.
From the ages of birth to 5, children’s brains are developing rapidly and their capacity for learning is unparalleled. In these formative years, children are laying the cognitive and behavioral foundation for the rest of their development and learning. During this period, they are highly susceptible to the influence of the environment; safe, nurturing, enriching environments strengthen early brain development, while stressful or unstable environments can harm it. When children attend high-quality ECE during these important years, they benefit from enhanced cognitive and social-emotional development. Society also benefits not only because more parents can participate in the workforce (which presents immediate economic and social benefits for families), but also because children may do better in the future in terms of educational success, earning potential, and adult health.
Purpose
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In this brief, we summarize the research evidence on how high-quality ECE benefits all young children, as well as key subgroups, such as children who are dual language learners and children with disabilities. We also explain the specific features of high-quality ECE that research finds are most important for children’s development. Finally, we provide details about the research evidence summarized in this brief.
Key Findings and Highlights
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- Participating in ECE helps children to develop skills that will benefit them in school and in life. Specifically, research from the United States shows that ECE can help children learn the foundational skills for reading, math, self-control, and positive relationships.
- Children benefit most when ECE is high-quality. High-quality ECE programs go beyond basic health and safety requirements to provide warm, responsive relationships with educators, stimulating and developmentally appropriate curricula, and ongoing training for educators. These features of ECE enhance children’s cognitive and social-emotional development.
- All young children can benefit from high-quality ECE, but it can be especially helpful for children from families experiencing low household income, children with disabilities served in inclusive classrooms, and dual language learners.
- The benefits of high-quality ECE for the child often last into kindergarten, and some studies show lasting effects into middle school and high school. The quality of later schooling that a child experiences can either build upon or counteract these benefits. Even though evidence for long-term effects of ECE on child development is mixed, some studies show that participating in high-quality ECE yields long-term advantages for individuals and for society, including higher educational attainment, better adult health, and less involvement in crime.
Citation
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Davis Schoch, A., Simons Gerson, C., Halle, T., & Bredeson, M. (2023). Children’s learning and development benefits from high-quality early care and education: A summary of the evidence. OPRE Report #2023-226. Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Glossary
- Early care and education (ECE):
- Includes all care and educational settings provided for children birth to age 5 before formal K-12 education begins, including center-based and home-based programs.
- Educators:
- Individual members of the early care and education workforce. Educators include teachers, home-based providers, assistant teachers, or specialists directly working with children.
- Families experiencing low household income:
- Include families whose annual incomes make them eligible to receive child care subsidies within their respective states, or whose incomes are below a given threshold of what is minimally required to meet their basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, and utilities. This definition is derived from resources from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Institute for Research on Poverty.
Types:
Report , Brief
OPRE Research Topics:
Child Care,
Topics:
Child Care, Child Development, Early Childhood, Head Start
