Chapter 1: Early Childhood Education

Pre-kindergarten education for disadvantaged children can greatly increase their cognitive abilities, leading to long-term increases in achievement and school success. Although general cognitive abilities as measured by IQ may only temporarily increase, persistent increases can be produced in the specific abilities measured by standardized achievement tests in reading and math. In addition, programs can have positive effects on children’s long-term social and emotional development, reducing crime and delinquency. To reap all of their potential benefits, pre-kindergarten programs for disadvantaged children must be intensive, high in quality, and emphasize both cognitive and social development.

A number of long-term social and economic trends have contributed to increasing interest in the education of children under five over the past several decades.¹ Before 1960, the education of young children was regarded as primarily a matter of parenting in the home. Since that time the percentage of young children cared for by someone other than a parent has risen steadily. Today, most young children in the United States spend much of their day away from their parents, and most attend a centerbased program prior to kindergarten. Attendance at a center-based program is becoming the norm at ages three and four. In 1999, center-based program participation was 70% at age four and 45% at age three.²