Recap: The Promise of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
September 2019
By Janelle Williamson
Crane’s September 2019 research forum hosted Dr. Arya Ansari, Assistant Professor, Human Sciences. Crane Center Research Forums are held monthly throughout the university calendar year, and feature researchers from across the university who share their research and its impact on children and families. Dr. Ansari spoke to attendees about the long term effects of early childhood education. He explored the followingresearch questions:
- Are there academic and psychosocial benefits of early childhood education for children as they transition to middle childhood and adolescence?
- Is there convergence between early childhood education graduates and non-participants, and if so, when and why does it occur?
- Are there any of the long term academic benefits of early childhood education mediated by earlier program benefits?
Dr. Ansari left the audience with a few key take-home messages. First, there is a larger gap in children’s early learning. Second, early education can be an effective remedy for inequality, but there is inequity in access. Third, to boost the long-term efficacy of early education, we need understand what happens next (in elementary school).
Watch the presentation here.
Interested in our next Crane Research Forum? Join us on October 2 to hear from Dr. David Blau discuss A Review of Recent Findings on the Impact of ChildCare Policyon ChildDevelopment and Well-being.