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RESEARCH
Current research in both Australia and overseas has proven overwhelmingly that a child who receives a quality preschool education will have better literacy, numeracy and sociability skills when they enroll at school. Longitudinal studies have shown that these benefits continue throughout life.
Growing Up in Australia
http://www.aifs.gov.au/growingup/
Highscope Preschool Perry project
http://www.highscope.org/Research/PerryProject/perrymain.htm
The Vinson Report
http://www.pub-ed-inquiry.org/reports/final_reports/
Australian and International research shows that preschool education is one of the best investments a nation can make...it returns many times over in improved social and educational outcomes.
A key finding of the OECD Education Committee is that “the trend in all countries is toward full coverage of the 3 to 6 year old age group, aiming to give all children at least two years of free publicly-funded provision before beginning compulsory schooling...often within the education system.”
The benefits of quality preschool education can be summarized from the following report:
NO SMALL MATTER – Quality Preschools Benefit Children and Society
An AEU Research Report prepared for the Australian Education Union
by Robin Hull and Sally Edsall
http://www.aeufederal.org.au/Ec/ecroundtable.html
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preschool has a positive effect on intellectual and social skills, independent of background, when centres provide quality in terms of physical surroundings and adult/child interactions;
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preschool improves children’s ability to think and reason as they enter school, enabling them to learn more in the early grades. Even if the IQ advantage fades (this was not conclusive), their learning accumulates and their success keeps them ‘on track’ toward high school completion;
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for children from very deprived socioeconomic backgrounds, preschool makes a difference in intellectual progress and the acquisition of positive attitudes and motivation to succeed at school;
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greater social and emotional maturity. Reduction in delinquent behaviours and drug abuse. Fewer anti-social actions and arrests. Those who attended preschool received higher teacher ratings on measures of social and emotional maturity;
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more frequent high school completion and higher future aspirations;
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higher employment rates, better earnings, and correspondingly, a lower incidence of dependence on welfare.
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