Childscene
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Many children who start school behind their peers struggle to catch up. At age 24, 26% of young people aren’t fully engaged in employment, education or training.
Meta-analyses looking at the impact of two years of preschool find that while all children benefit, it provides a major boost to children from low-income households. This is important because children from poor communities are often significantly behind their peers, even by the age of three.
Children experiencing development vulnerability by socio-economic status, Australian Early Development Census. AEDC 2015
Reduced educational opportunity has lifelong consequences for young people and for the broader community and economy. Two years of high-quality preschool is one of the most effective strategies we have to change the trajectories of children. It is a key strategy for investing in the most important economic asset we have - the capabilities of the Australian people.
Two years of preschool have more impact than one For the children most likely to experience developmental vulnerability, two years of high-quality preschool can be transformative. But it has positive impacts for all children. There are many studies that show the long-term benefits of two years of preschool for children of all socioeconomic backgrounds. • A landmark UK study showed that students who attended two to three years of preschool obtained higher overall scores in their end-of-school exams, better grades in English and in maths, and took final year exams in more subjects. • Analysis of international test results (Programme for International Student Assessment - PISA, Progress in International Reading Literacy Study - PIRLS and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study - TIMSS) show that children with at least two years of preschool achieve much higher scores than those who attend no preschool or only one year. • The Abbott Pre-K program in New Jersey, which provides two years of high quality preschool programs to all children in priority communities, found much greater benefits for the children who attended from age three.
Access and quality are the priorities Establishing an entitlement to two years of preschool for all children is the most practical and achievable way of boosting the accessibility and impact of our existing early education and care system. Setting up minimum and consistent hours of attendance and high-quality learning programs, in the way we have for four-year-old preschool, is critical. Although many three-year-olds currently attending ECEC will be experiencing a highquality learning environment, this isn’t the case for all children. • Quality levels are lowest in poorest communities, where children are most in need of exceptional quality. • Only 7% of children in the lowest socioeconomic quintile attended programs delivering the highest levels of instructional support. • Quality levels are highest for older children, especially those in fouryear-old preschool programs, and much lower for younger children.
Foundations are already in place The National Quality Framework already provides the foundations of structural quality needed for a three-year-old preschool program - appropriate educator to child ratios, and a second early childhood teacher coming online in many services from 2020. We have achieved near-universal enrolment in preschool for four year olds in the past five years. We can do the same thing for three year olds. This article was first published at www. theconversation.com.au Stacey Fox is Policy Fellow, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University.
Impact of two years of preschool on language and maths at Grade 4. Abbott Pre-K Study, New Jersey WESTERN SYDNEY BUSINESS ACCESS DECEMBER 2018
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