Early Childhood Education: The Key To Success In Life

Nelson Mandela, known statesmen, once said: "Education is the ideal engine to personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, the son of a minor may reach became director of the mine, the son of a farm worker can become president of a great nation. "

The truth of this statement may not be fully appreciated when one considers the enormous importance of preschool education. The famous Japanese violin teacher and educator, Shinichi Suzuki, once expressed a great truism when he said: "The destiny of children lies in the hands of their parents." The management and the quality of this spell depends in large part - by parents - in the first seven years of a child's life.

A study by High / Scope Educational Research Foundation in Ypsilanti, Michigan, has shown the importance of the value of early learning. From 1962-1967, 123 African Americans, aged between 3 and 4, and born in poverty, and therefore at high risk for later school failure were randomized into two groups. One group was exposed to a high quality preschool program, while the control group not exposed to preschool programs. The program that the experimental group was exposed to the approach is based on the learning of High / Scope 's assets. In the last phase of the study, 95% of participants were interviewed at age 27. Additional data were obtained from school subjects, social services and arrest records. The most significant results of this study were:

* Almost one third as many of those involved in the preschool program, compared with those with no preschool exposure (71% vs 54%) graduated from regular high school or an adult, or received their General Certificate Education for Development.

* 27 years of age, four times more than those exposed to pre-school program, as opposed to those with no preschool exposure (29% vs. 7%) earned $ 2,000 or more a month, and have also obtained a score higher than the ownership of the house and car.

* 27 years of age, only a fifth as many as the condition of pre-exposure, as opposed to those who have no preschool exposure (7% vs 35%) had been arrested five times or more, and significantly fewer arrests less of drug smuggling has been carried out under the preschool program group members. (7% vs 25%)