Early Childhood Education Attendance Research Articles

Medium- and long-term outcomes of early childhood education: experiences from Turkish large-scale assessments

The benefits of early childhood education (ECE) to children extend throughout their lives. A more equitable education system is also dependent upon the universalization of ECE, beyond its personal benefits. A limited number of studies have examined the relationship between ECE attendance and educational outcomes in Türkiye, despite its importance at both the educational and systemic levels. As part of this comparative study, we examined the relationship between ECE attendance and academic achievement in Türkiye over the medium and long term. We considered high stakes assessments for the transition to upper-secondary education (at the end of the eighth grade) and higher education (at the end of the 12th grade) within the scope of this study. Based on the official student recordings in Türkiye, ~5.6 million students were analyzed in the study. For the comparison of group means, partial-eta squares were used, and descriptive comparisons were made for the comparison of group rates. There was a stronger relationship between ECE attendance and medium-term achievement. As a result, students who attended an ECE program had significantly higher scores on the transition to upper-secondary education. Despite similar rates of transition, attendance had a higher rate of transition to formal bachelor programs, prestigious higher education programs, and students’ prioritized programs. ECE programs are particularly beneficial to students with low socio-economic status (SES) according to additional analyses. Medium- and long-term academic indicators are correlated with ECE attendance, with the medium-term relationship being particularly robust. This emphasizes the importance of recent investments in universalizing early childhood education in Türkiye. It is suggested that further research be conducted in order to control SES and other demographic variables.

Early Childhood Education Attendance and Students’ Later Outcomes in Europe

Abstract The importance of investments in early childhood education (ECE) has been widely documented in the literature. Among the benefits, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, is its potential to mitigate educational inequality. However, some evidence also suggests that the positive effects of ECE on later outcomes tend to dissipate over time, leaving children who attended such programmes no better off academically than those who did not. This paper studies the relationship between students’ years spent in ECE, from 0 to before starting primary school, and the results of their educational assessment outcomes at age 15. Using PISA survey data for 14 European countries from 2015 to 2018, we conduct a cross-country comparison of student performance in reading, mathematics, and science, correlating the results to the duration of ECE attendance. Our findings show that duration in ECE is associated with better assessments at age 15, but that the benefit is nonlinear and peaks at 3–4 years of attendance. Gender and migration background are associated with student performance on the assessments; but we don’t find evidence of heterogeneity in the relationship between ECE duration and test outcomes based on gender and migration background. Instead, we document differential effects of ECE duration according to age of entry to ECE, mother’s education, and the type of educational system attended.

What drives early childhood education attendance? The role of structural factors and personal beliefs in Germany

The paper investigates which and how characteristics of the family, the child, the context, and personal beliefs are related with attendance in early childhood education (ECE), examining their dynamics across the first three crucial years of children’s life. By relying on the theoretical model developed by Pungello and Kurtz-Costes, we contribute to the literature on selection into ECE by providing (i) a comprehensive framework simultaneously integrating different sets of factors that can influence access to ECE and (ii) an empirical test of their relevance across crucial children’s developmental stages by using recent data from the German National Educational Panel study. Binomial logistic regression models, applied to multiply imputed data, show that the German ECE system remains unequal even after a period of intense reforms. Inequalities begin already at one-year-old, being largest when children are two years old and decreasing at age three. Findings confirm the importance of structural divides linked to children’s social origins and residential area as main drivers of ECE inequalities, especially at two years old. Yet, also mothers’ beliefs play an important role: perceiving formal care as a tool to both support children’s cognitive enrichment and favour their own occupational career increases children’s ECE participation.

Early childhood education attendance and school readiness in low- and middle-income countries: The moderating role of family socioeconomic status

This study examined associations between attendance at early childhood education (ECE) programs and school readiness, and the extent to which the ECE–school readiness association is moderated by family socioeconomic status (SES). Data were from 58 low- and middle-income countries (N = 165,875, Mage = 47.52 months). Multilevel analysis showed that ECE attendance was positively associated with total and domain-specific school readiness, in addition to the role of family SES. The association was of medium effect size for literacy–numeracy readiness and small effect size for learning and socioemotional readiness. The ECE–school readiness association was moderated by family SES, although this varied by school readiness domains. While the ECE–literacy–numeracy association was stronger for high SES children (i.e., leveraging effect), the ECE–learning readiness association was stronger for lower SES peers (i.e., compensatory effect). No SES differences were observed for socioemotional competency (i.e., additive effect). Our findings suggest that although ECE attendance plays a significant role in developing school readiness competencies in LMIC contexts, it is strongly geared towards cognitive outcomes and therefore requiring a focus on other developmental domains. Additionally, for ECE to help close the SES gap in children’s school readiness and subsequent learning outcomes, policy makers must pay attention to increasing both the quantity and quality ECE of provision for children from low SES backgrounds.

Effects of early childhood education attendance on achievement, social skills, behaviour, and stress

Abstract There is evidence that Early Childhood Education positively contributes to optimal performance in Elementary School, but there are few studies about its infl uence on socio-behavioral variables. This study aimed to explore the association between duration of Early Childhood Education attendance (one or two years) and developmental outcomes in the 3rd grade. A total of 151 students from public schools participated in the study and their academic performance, social skills, externalizing behavior and stress symptoms were assessed. Data analysis comprised group comparison and regression with control of socioeconomic background. The results showed that children who had attended Early Childhood Education for one more year showed better achievement and less stress symptoms. Duration of Early Childhood Education attendance was a significant positive predictor for achievement and a negative one for stress in the 3rd grade. We discuss the quality of Early Childhood Education and its influence on the variables assessed and point to the need for a systematic replication study to assess the generalization of the results.

Early Childhood Education and Later Educational Attainment and Socioeconomic Wellbeing Outcomes to Age 30

This paper examines the associations between attendance at early childhood education (ECE) and longer-term academic attainment and socioeconomic wellbeing in a New Zealand birth cohort studied to age 30. Nearly 95% of the cohort had attended ECE by age 5. After adjustment for family background and child characteristics, results showed statistically significant trends for increasing duration of ECE attendance to be associated with: greater attainment of high school and university qualifications and higher adult socioeconomic wellbeing (income, employment, occupational status); effect size estimates were small to moderate. No evidence was found for differential effects of ECE attendance across subgroups defined by child: ethnicity, gender, parental education or socioeconomic status. The implications of these findings are discussed.

School Absenteeism through the Transition to Kindergarten

ABSTRACTUsing nationally representative data from the Family and Child Experiences Survey 2009 Cohort (n = 2,798), this study examined patterns of absenteeism and their consequences through the transition to kindergarten. Overall, children were less likely to be absent in kindergarten than from Head Start at ages 3 and 4. Absenteeism was fairly stable across these early years, but children who experienced two years of Head Start were less likely to be absent in kindergarten than their classmates who only attended the program for one year. Ultimately, absenteeism at both ages 3 and 4 was associated with lower math and literacy achievement. However, children who experienced two years of Head Start and were more frequently absent demonstrated greater language development through the end of kindergarten as compared with children who only attended the program for one year. Policy implications are discussed in light of the complexity of early childhood education attendance in the United States.

Does aggregate school-wide achievement mediate fifth grade outcomes for former early childhood education participants?

This study used a multilevel mediation model to test the theory that former early childhood education (ECE) attendees' 5th grade achievement is mediated by the aggregate school-wide achievement of their elementary school. Aggregate school-wide achievement was defined as the percentage of 5th graders in a school who were at/above academic proficiency in reading or math. Research questions were: (a) Do ECE program participants have better achievement at 5th grade compared with their matched peers who did not participate in an ECE program?; and (b) Is the association between ECE attendance and 5th grade academic performance mediated by school-wide achievement? Results indicated that children who attended prekindergarten (pre-K) and child care outperformed their matched peers who had not attended ECE programs; conversely, those children who did not attend ECE actually outperformed their Head Start counterparts. Mediation analyses indicated that aggregate school-wide achievement at 5th grade partially mediated the association between former ECE attendance and 5th grade performance; however, these mediated effects were small. Overall, the size of the total effects of ECE and the 5th grade academic outcomes were consistent with prior studies. This research confirms the long-term effects of pre-K and child care until 5th grade.