Lack of stimulation affects toddler’s brain development
Recent figures show that a lack of pre school learning can impact on a toddler’s brain development for decades; with almost 130,000 children a year falling behind before they reach primary school.
Leading scientists in child development and neuroscience have joined with Save the Children to urge the government to focus on early years education. Their aim is for every nursery to have a qualified early years teacher in post, to support children with early learning, after research shows that these first years are crucial to future learning.
A new scientific briefing from Save the Children and the Institute of Child Health at University College London, ‘Lighting Up Young Brains’, explains how toddlers’ brains form connections at double the rate of adult brains. This shows the importance of Early intervention to ensure children are receiving the best support and are able to develop key skills such as communication and language.
A poll, recently commissioned as part of the Read On. Get On. campaign, showed that 61% of parents felt school was the most important learning period for children. This suggests that many parents are still failing to realise the impact that an Early Years education can have on a child’s learning. If a child is unable to develop adequate language and communication skills prior to school, it can have a knock on affect making it difficult for a child to take part in classroom activities and build solid relationships with peers.
It was found that last year, almost 130,000 children in England struggled with their early language skills; the equivalent of six children in every reception class. More than half of parents and two-thirds of fathers said they didn’t receive enough help and advice to understand their child’s pre school learning. On top of this, 47% of parents said they hoped their children would know 100 words by their third birthday; half as many as the government recommends.
What impact do you feel that a preschool education has on a child’s further learning?