Preschool And Cognitive Development

As of 2012, 61% of children in the United States have a structured and regular childcare arrangement. From research done, kids who attended preschool are less likely to need government assistance, drop out of high school, and commit a felony (Why All Kids Should Go to Preschool). Kids who do go to preschool are more likely to go to college and own their own homes. In fact, preschool enrollment is highest in children with mothers with bachelor’s degrees or higher.

On November 13, 2014 at Grossmont College’s Child Development Center, I observed Konnor who was born on March 11, 2011. At the center, there are roughly around 15 children between the ages of three and five; there is one adult for every six or so kids. The preschool center’s indoor environment is safely secured with a locked gate that separates the outside door which leads to the younger children centers and parking lot with the hallway to the learning and play area. There are two separate rooms, but they both have screen doors that lead to the same play area outside. The room on the left, which Konnor is placed in, was smaller

First, the author gives some advices to parents that how to choose a right preschool for their children. Second, the author focuses on what the children could learn at preschool. In the article, Kathleen McCartney states that “from preschool, the children start to know the numbers, letters, and shapes, etc. And more important, they learn how to socialize with other children, how to share and contribute to circle time” (Kanter, 2007, para. 3). Social communication is one of the most important components for humans, and it starts from children. The author uses this quotation to make her argument stronger because Kathleen McCartney is Parents advisor, professor of Education, and president of Smith College (Kanter, 2007), but the author does not show the opposite side in this article. This article shows bias at this point. I will use this article to support my argument in essay

“Early roots of play as a best practice for early learning was documented by Plato, a Greek philosopher, who insisted that play is considered a natural activity of childhood.”(Ingrid Crowther, 2011, Pg. 2) Early Childhood Education is a term that refers to educational programs that are devoted to children from birth to the age of eight. “Children of this age learn by exploring and investigating; therefore, their environment should support and encourage this process.”(Rebecca Isbell and Betty Exelby, 2001, Pg. 11) Early childhood environments should be attractive and exciting. These environments should allow children to work and play using proper resources, materials, and tools.

To start off, many students aren’t ready yet for the basis of kindergarten as they never finished, or even attended preschool. Attending a preschool gives children an early advantage, and stimulates an early mind. When a child starts their educational journey at the age of three, they get a two year “Head Start,” for themselves, compared to kids who have not attended preschool. This early advantage is a physical and significant benefit for them as it helps strengthen the child from early on. According to greatschools.org, “To sustain children’s excitement and motivation for learning, high-quality preschool and child care programs introduce early literacy and math skills

As mentioned earlier, approximately eighty-five to ninety percent of the brain has been formed by the age of five (“Early Childhood Education Needs More Attention” 1). It seems as though the education of children should be a top priority during children’s first years of life considering how much they grow and develop. Not surprisingly, studies have shown that children who are able to attend preschool experience many long term benefits later in life . Kids who received a preschool education were found to “repeat fewer grades, be more literate, be more likely to achieve a higher level of education, and [be] more positive...toward their children’s education” (Wilson 2). Preschool helps children to be successful throughout their years in school. It makes sense to spend the time and money on children in preschool, instead of trying to play catch-up once they are already behind. Some of the benefits of preschool are evident, even throughout adulthood. Adults who attended preschool “had lower unemployment rates, earned significantly more money in their lifetimes, had significantly more stable dwelling arrangements, and were involved in less crime” (Wilson 2). Preschool sets children up for success throughout their lives. The increase in income and lowered crime rates stemming from preschool attendance actually lessen the amount of government money that is later spent on public assistance and correctional facilities (Abdul-Alim

There is increasing facts that kids get to learn a lot after going to preschool. They become to learn about alphabets, numbers, and shapes. In addition to this, they gain knowledge about how to socialize like sharing thoughts, foods & things, being friendly with other children and include in a group of children.

Early childhood education has many benefits and there is the potential for many significant outcomes if universal preschools were put into place. Some feel that children who start kindergarten without previously attended preschool sometimes lack certain skills such as social and communication skills and an inability to follow routines. There were also studies done that found attending preschool could help to close the achievement gap in the grade school years. A child’s first few years of life are most important, and they absorb the most during those years. By providing universal preschool, all children would be benefiting, especially those who are in at-risk families or part of the lower class. As a society, we have a responsibility to help the children in our communities and provide them with the education they need in order to help them succeed in life.

They stated, “Quality preschool provides not only significant benefits for children in both school and life, but tremendous benefits for society” (Cooper, Dukakis). This article also reveals that there are impressive educational, social, and emotional benefits for children who attend quality preschools. This substantial research allows teachers and school administrators to understand that children who have built a strong learning foundation in preschool have a better chance of success in school. Business leaders also realize that preschool helps meet their needs for a well-educated workforce. Law enforcement officials also notice that the implementation of a quality early education which leads to success in school is a vital tool to keep crime low and improve public safety (Cooper, Dukakis).

This paper is going to carry out a literature review on cognitive development in infants. The paper will review cognitive development in infants at different stages. Effects of early experience on mental development in infants will also be discussed. The research question and the hypothesis of the research will also be given.

Today, a lot of mothers of infants under 12 ¾ months need to put their

Wellness is imperative to a healthy life. Sometimes, people do not really consider what makes up wellness, they simply think of it as being “well”. Wellness may be a state of being “well”, however, it incorporates different areas such as nutrition, health, safety, nurturing, and emotional stability. People must be healthy in all of these areas in order to achieve wellness. This is not an easy task for an adult but definitely not for children. In order for children to achieve wellness, they are completely dependent upon the adults in their lives; parents / caregivers, friends, and teachers.

There are many different things that shape the cognitive development of children. To begin with cognitive development is when a child develops how to process, solve problems, and start making decisions. Once they have learned this they take everything they have learned into their adolescence. An example, of what can shape the cognitive development of a child can be an educational game. Educational games can be very useful in shaping a child’s development because they are having fun while learning at the same time and what kid doesn’t like to play games, the fact that it is even educational makes it even better for them. Not only are they having fun but there are many different games that help in different categories of development in

Chapter 5 “Early Childhood: Body and Mind” section “Thinking during Early Childhood” teaches about the cognitive development of children during early childhood at around ages 2-6 years old, in which, children targeted at this age do not use logical operations (reasoning process). Such a term is called the “Preoperational Intelligence” conducted by Piaget. Furthermore, Piaget’s preoperational thought establishes that children have language but use symbolic thought where “words can refer to things not seen and that an item, like a flag, can symbolize something else (in this case, a country).” Symbolic thought proves Animism; the belief that young children have thinking that “natural objects are alive and nonhuman animals have the same characteristics of a child” (Berger, 173).

It is a clear and worthy investment. The question lies in which preschool program is the most effective. Previous reviews of programs have focused on if they contributed to later success, but a few of them compared the programs on their effectiveness. A number of programs showed positive results continuing to the end of kindergarten and beyond, signifying that the preschool involvement had impacts aside from early exposure to academic content. (Johns Hopkins University, 37). Also, several programs had effects on oral language skills, which are emphasized in most preschools.