Time for Parenting...

...because raising children is a full-time job

May 2003 Newsletter

New members write; What the papers say; What the surveys say; Who cares?; Parental involvement in pre-school education

The impact of pre-school education: Parental involvement is key

In March this year the Institute of Education at London University reported new findings from a study on the effect on young children of pre-school education. Entitled The Effective Provision of Pre-school Education Project, this longitudinal survey followed the progress of 3,000 children and found that those with experience of pre-school education fared better when they reached school than those without, but that part-time attendance at pre-school was just as useful as full-time.

Not surprisingly, the quality of teaching and care provided by the pre-school was very important. For example, where the staff engaged in good verbal interaction with the children, on a one-to-one basis, children made much better progress, especially where there was 'sustained shared thinking.' The best pre-school experiences were those with a high level of parental involvement at home.

Looking at the child's experience before pre-school, the report found that children who had spent long hours in daycare before the age of 2 (especially in day nurseries and local authority centres) were more likely to have anti-social behaviour at age 3 - although they were found to have better cognitive ability. Time spent with relatives as carers (especially grandmothers) had a beneficial effect on behaviour.

The study also found that the most important influence on the child's behaviour and ability was the extent to which parents engaged in constructive activity with the child, regardless of the child's social background. The study advocated the use of pre-school learning provision, especially where it involves and supports parents, but cautioned against long periods of daycare for young children.

For more details of the study see the Institute of Education website at http://www.ioe.ac.uk/cdl/eppe