Early Childhood Education: The Research

Here what science says about Early Childhood Education. To support our early years, visit www.patreon.com/sprouts
Source:
30 Million Word Difference
www.aft.org/sites/default/file...
The High Scope Perry Preschool Study
www.highscope.org/file/researc...
University of Michigan - How American Children Spend Their Time
preview.tinyurl.com/yb4bzzu3
The Heckman Curve
heckmanequation.org/resource/...
What a child experiences during the first years of their life has a lasting impact on the development of their brain. While genes set the roadmap, experiences create the neural connection inside the brain that sets the foundations of our emotions, language, motor skills, vision, and memories. If one region gets additional stimulation, the neural pathways within that area and the connections to other areas grow stronger. This process is called synaptic pruning.
You can also imagine your brain as a planet. There is Motor Skill Metropolis, Memory Mountain and Vision Village. Through the years, popular cities grow bigger and links between them get larger. Now if one area was never developed, there can be traffic jams. This then slows down the development of the entire brain. Some neurotransmitters will be tired of getting to work. Others will take short cuts and get lost.
Imagine your brain is a planet. Big cities have many houses, roads, and connections to travel to other big cities. If they are popular, over time those cities and links between them grow bigger and stronger. But if one town was never developed, citizens will have trouble to get around. As a result, there is little business and traffic jam for everyone who wants to pass through. This limits not only the development of that area but limits the growth of the entire ecosystem.
Betty Hart and Todd Risley studied children’s exposure to language. On average children from families on welfare were exposed to about 600 words per hour. Kids from rich families got about 2,000. By the age of 3, the gap becomes 30 million words. But it didn’t end there. Children from privileged families received much more positive feedback. For every 6 words of praise, there was only one word of discouragement. Welfare kids, however, heard twice as many discouragements than praise. This could make a difference that lasts a lifetime.
In a study that began in 1963, psychologist David Weikart and his team randomly divided 123 underprivileged kids into two groups. One group spent two years at a top preschool with excellent teachers. They made art, discussed problems, and received a lot of attention, respect, and love. For the other, life went on as usual. Often without much attention from anyone 40 years later the Highscope Perry Preschool Study was published.
At age five, 67% of the children in the top preschool group had an IQ of over 90, they were school-ready. Of the others, only 28% achieved that. At fourteen there was a big difference in basic classroom achievements. At twenty-seven the top preschool group was more likely to own their own home. And at age forty they earned more money and were less likely to ever be sentenced to jail.
The researchers concluded that the two years at preschool nourished the children not only intellectually but also gave them social skills, courage, and perseverance. This combination of character strength, also called Grit, was later responsible for their success in life. The 15,000 dollars invested in putting those kids into preschool, later benefited the entire society, mainly through a reduction in crime. The total return of investment was estimated to be at a 195,000 dollars.
In 2006 Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman published what became known as the Heckman Curve. It shows the return of investments in education, which is the highest in the early years. Governments have since started to act. In Germany, parents get a lot of financial support to raise their kids. In Japan, mothers or fathers can take a full year of paid leave. In France, all children go to Kindergarten free of charge.
If you happen to be in charge, know that with every extra minute you spend encouraging and talking to that little troublemaker, you might be doing him a favor for life. According to the University of Michigan: "regular family dinners are a stronger predictor of good grades than doing homework."

[@sprouts]

Help us to reach more parents to learn about early childhood education: patreon.com/sprouts

[@juliocadenas5149]

I really liked the ending part that "having a family dinner together" is a greater predictor of grade compared to doing homework. That hit hard because it shows that it isn't only the money difference but also the time spent with family. Very interesting.

[@AudreeAdam]

I read a lot on homework and that’s why I don’t give any (I’m in first grade, so ages 5 to 7).

[@ksenia5199]

Wealthy families are much more likely to have a stay at home parent and not have a parent working 2 jobs. They’re less likely to be stressed out, so they have a higher tolerance for their kid’s misbehavior.

[@TheLolle97]

Right now I'm really thankful to have grown up in Germany. My family wasn't privileged at all, yet I was given a really good early childhood education as far as I remember. That probably wouldn't have been possible without state support and I wouldn't be studying at university right now.

[@sprouts]

+Lorenzo Wormer thanks for yet another insightful comment.

[@Aethuviel]

You know what also was really good for having children at home with a constant nurturer? Before governments forced women into the workforce. Back when a single salary could buy a big house and feed a whole family with ease. Now people just ask for more taxes and bigger government to fix a problem caused by taxes and bigger government.

[@eugenia7028]

Que suerte tuviste aca en Argentina. Desgraciadamente es todo lo contrario te encasillan si no sabes nada ya en un futuro no sos nada .Desgraciadamente en este pais que es la Argentina no tiene nada bueno .y me duele muchísimo esto

[@childmindguide]

Great video highlighting the importance of early childhood experiences on brain development. The examples of the Perry Preschool Study and the Heckman Curve show the long-term benefits of investing in early education

[@ankurrastogi3080]

Absolutely amazing!!! This is why I turn to sprouts because they give you what is important concisely. Cheers guys!! Keep up the good and hard work :)

[@sprouts]

Thank you so much ANKUR! Your feedback and support is what keeps us going! We are now officially on Patreon. If you want to support us more, go on www.patreon.com/sprouts. Even a donation of 1$ means a lot to us!

[@Lucianamadsen]

I am a passionate educator and I Direct 6 Early Learning Centers in USA.English is my second language. I moved here when my daughter was 1yo.She is 6 now. 1st grader. I was always afraid she would struggle with the language since we speak Portuguese at home, but it is the opposite. She was the first one to learn how to read in her classroom. Her vocabulary is AMAZING. She received awards for reading.But of course I do read with her every night since she was a baby.More than 1hour per day. She loves books!So if “Poor Pete’s Nanny” have spoken another language consistently, maybe he would be better too.🙂

[@joycebruhn3672]

It is best to have songs and concept it is great to be passionate repeat things like writing creating stories and counting and different sorting patterns is a good activity by three I am concerned grandson raised in riverside is twelve and an not do any math it is really hard to see he was so excited at two he could count money and add well by three now he is unable to get dressed or shower without thirteen prompts by mom and dad and grandpa I am a step grandma I think oh get him help he is two hundred fifty pounds after covid at home he was wetting bed I hadn’t seen him since Christmas 2014 because mom was in Kansas and Hawaii with him he hates kids and school oh dear we need to have more writing more art more music but we need. Great quality. People

[@cmed6812]

Thanks you Sprouts. Keep up the good work.

[@rolaiwaza9948]

Well i think this is the best channel i 've come through ! information are provided in a simple and attractive way. Thank you for the effort !

[@sprouts]

Hi Rola Iwaza. Thank you so much for your lovely comment and the encouragement! :) If you like the way we explain academic theories and want to support us to make more videos like this one, there are a few things you can do. 1. You can subscribe and click the bell icon to get notified when we upload a new video. 2. You can share this video with a friend or people from school or work. 3. You can join us. If you have insights into academic ideas, enjoy writing and you want to help them in simple language, contact us via our website www.sproutsschools.com 4. You support us directly, with a small monthly donation at www.patreon.com/sprouts

[@rajasarkar9031]

Your short videos are just really great and helpful.

[@sprouts]

Happy to hear that!

[@sheherbano9566]

All the videos on this channel are very informative and helpful. Being a teacher I share many of your videos with my students as it gives them a better understanding of the lesson. It would be very nice if you make a video regarding Parten's theory of play.

[@sprouts]

Noted

[@VlogAwi]

THANKS FOR THE VIDEOS ! Really open my minds about education !!

[@infinitymfg5397]

Well I have only been a subscriber for a few weeks so this was a new video for me and I really enjoyed it. If you didn't reupload it I don't know when of if I would have seen it.

[@sprouts]

good :)

[@happinessruns]

Wow. Great information. Thank you!

[@joycebruhn3672]

I went to school for years I was really surprised at the approaches they work I did a great job helping single and poor families at a low price included long meals extra twenty four hours it was my calling. I individualized personalized and though many were labeled problems I rarely seen any real concerns they were accepted and flourished all through the years oh I suppose we can say nurture nature but love and care and time and simplicity it works

[@Prisa457]

guys you are the best. loved watching your videos. I have a request.i would like for you to make a video how to improve slow learning children.

[@zamroniachyar4071]

Sorry.. I want to ask about Cathy Nutbrown's book about early children education. Is that book worth it for college? Thanks..

[@magalyriverarojas3597]

I didn't know about the importante of the education in the early stage of life. Thanks a lot.

[@alphabetforkids3368]

When learning is a joyful experience, children absorb knowledge most effectively in their early years!

[@komalzyaan3115]

Helpful

[@ypaudel]

1:18 There are only 171k words in English. Misleading comparision in use in the video.

[@khanyekl]

I'm not entirely convinced that rich parents have more time to spend at home, those kids are probably being raised by a hired person. I think the middle class has a greater chance, or even better yet rich people that receive a lot of passive income.

[@Gaurir5]

Yes but most important is the awareness of the parents about these things.

[@guest_5992]

More money. More problems.

[@vergilmontiero2558]

Passive income, that's the key

[@akslopforever7709]

Precisely, stats are skewed. What they want is you to be enslaved from early age

[@des895]

I wish poor countries give parents a tool how to stimulate their child's brain at early age at home, they would solve the countries problem after 20 years.

[@AnaBotticelli]

Absolutelly, I was thinking exactly the same

[@Gaurir5]

yes, but in poor countries food is the first priority and if that is not even satisfied how can they think of all these things?

[@guest_5992]

The two groups were kids from bad homes. Therefore this study should not be applied to all children. Children from warm, loving, responsive parents actually do better and are more health emotional than children dropped off at preschool. Most children should not be away from home until 7. Please do more research before dropping your kid off at some building.

[@christinafidance340]

He said “underprivileged” meaning poor and I must note that not all poor homes are necessarily bad ones! I stayed home with my daughter until she started kindergarten and I got A LOT of flack from people for being lazy and not “working”, but quite frankly, a job would have been A LOT easier! We struggled living on nothing but a $850 monthly social security check (her father died when she was a baby) and food stamps. However, like you said, I never trusted dropping her off with strangers when she was so young. So, I devoted all of my time to teaching her things and being the best mom I could be. And all the while, we were VERY underprivileged!!!

[@happinessruns]

PS: I've subscribed!

[@QponKajira]

Not everyone on Welfare sits on the couch watching tv. When I was a young mama I would read, sing, play, and talk with my children and they have a great vocabulary. and are avid readers! I hate the judgemental inclination of that portion of the video. It is discouraging.

[@maxine5859]

Totally agree, me and my kids are all avid readers with huge vocabularies and I get benefits. My dad's family were well off and abusive so I call bull.

[@fabtrash]

Like others said : it’s a study ; of course *they will always have exception* , it’s just that the majority seems to do that...

[@mousammittal2407]

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[@ezfamtv7838]

I didnt have any of that and came from a welfare family

[@bluec789]

Yes I'm not truly sure about the statistics used here

[@johnmax2023]

do it apply to children in kenya? i thought they are children too

[@sheru20]

this should be the most watched video on youtube

[@sprouts]

Thank you Shehryar Khan for your comment! If you want to support our channel, please subscribe and spread the word, or if you speak another language you can write subtitles, and if you want to support us even more, you can become a patron on www.patreon.com/sprouts. Even a small contribution of 1$ means a lot to us.

[@WELVAS.]

2:23 What was the "big difference" and "more likely" statistic wise. "Big" and "more likely" is very subjective to the person. Without actual statistics listed, this can be VERY misleading.

[@melisajayanti]

well its too late for me then...

[@brd8764]

Early year..

[@nehalkulkarni]

I feel that even though the original studies were flawed in their terminologies, maybe you could add those corrections here... "families on welfare having negligent parents" and "privileged families having involved and loving parents" - else the generalization of the study doesn't hold. I do hope there are more wide studies within the same demographic so that factors other than socio-economic status can be highlighted. Also, the studies mentioned clearly point out the need for fulfilling psychosocial needs of the child rather than being in preschools. I got into Early Childhood Education because of the Heckman equation, and though I am convinced of the need for quality education in the early years with developmentally appropriate practices for increased benefits to society, I am no longer convinced of the studies that formed the premise for the equation in the first place! There has been much more research since, and you've covered it in your subsequent videos. But probably you could make another video with the same title coz this is what pops up when students of ECE search for this topic.

[@s.dthomas5354]

Most of this is accurate. Though I disagree with the privaled and wealthy kids growing up with more attention and care. It's instead more correct to say educated. Specifically children who grow up in families with college degrees are given more care then families who don't.

[@msemilyli]

Than*

[@irenanayfeld6261]

I am a developmental psychologist and researcher in early childhood education. Research has shown that the Hart & Risley study was methodologically flawed and culturally biased, and findings not replicable when conducted with a cross-cultural approach to development. The bias and ideologies against families in poverty or on welfare is replicated through your propagation of these inaccurate and biased data, and your depictions of the families. This is an irresponsible and harmful overview of research in early childhood education. You have a platform. Be responsible, educate yourselves, do better.

[@sprouts]

Thanks for pointing this out.

[@irenanayfeld6261]

@@sprouts You are welcome. Learning is a constant process, involving a lot of unlearning. If you are interested in critically reviewing your content, and/or creating educational videos based in research on cultural variability and strengths as opposed to deficit, and offer a more nuanced and complete understanding on child development, please let me know, I am genuinely happy to assist.

[@teambotello]

Thank you! I also found this video very problematic.

[@TheSaray08]

Completely agree!!

[@lawrencia22]

Please am an early childhood education final year student looking for a project to do please can you suggest for me what project we be best for me please,if you don't mind can drop ur Whatsapp number

[@brainstormingsharing1309]

👍👏👍👏👍👏👍

[@vinodsuarez1014]

2nd!!!yeppe

[@sprouts]

thanks!!! I had to re-load it. we got one date wrong... FAIL! Arg...

[@joycebruhn3672]

It’s important for children at one and two to get stimulation but good kinds of education ….. then at three small and large motor skills language. Etc good influences …… oh by four five your child needs to stay in preschool until they are able to read write and know concepts. ….. start kindergarden then even if your ten yes I said it if you can’t read chapter books by 6 stay in preschool or kindergarden repeating skills over and over until you can otherwise it weighs down others keeps them behind. It’s just ridiculous to teach algebra to a kid who can’t do fraction. Or multiply or read or understand. The basics

[@CheekyMonkey888]

And home schooled kids beat the lot of them, privileged included, hands down

[@bluec789]

YEEESSS!!

[@harrylinley4042]

In the cartoon drawings, the "parents on benefits" are depicted; ignoring their children, leaving them in front of the television and drinking. While "rich parents" are reading to their children, eating family meals and showing affection. While it is important to stress the effects of an economically disadvantaged childhood, this video is patronising and perpetuates insulting stereotypes.

[@bestoffers283]

Guys, check out this kids education program, you won't be disappointed: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIOWo5iXf62JlZo

[@randomusername704]

In my experience it's exactly the opposite

[@des895]

No wonder I'm bad in Math. No one invested in my brain:-(

[@marcelalopez311]

Wow, dinners make the difference...

[@wpoon1]

三歲定八十, 教育在童年. 少壯不努力, 老大徒傷悲.

[@azurenojito2251]

Unrealistic and works only for the privileged. It's about having the funds, time and resources. And besides, if most children grow up to be successful in life, who is going to work in the service industries and produce things for these career people? :p

[@UnknownUser-by4le]

My child is a welfare child who is achieving 2 years beyond the curriculum so you are very wrong.

[@azurenojito2251]

@@UnknownUser-by4le There are always a few exceptions, dear.

[@UnknownUser-by4le]

@@azurenojito2251 where parents can be bothered. So it’s realistic however parents can’t be asked On a whole.

[@paulinebell4873]

you generalize... i know welfare kids who were loved and excelled in life, and rich kids who were emotionally neglected and became meth heads