THE URGENT NEED OF PRE SCHOOL EDUCATION
A child’s most important steps happen before they set foot in a primary school. Early childhood, from birth to age five, is the most critical developmental stage in a person’s life. By their fifth birthday, a child’s brain will already be 90% developed. If children are going to reach their full physical, social, and cognitive potential in school and in life, they must be provided with quality nurturing care in their very years. Early childhood interventions should support four key developmental domains — physical, cognitive, linguistic and socio-emotional development. However, while progress is being made in some areas, children’s play school teaching is too often neglected, putting millions of children at a disadvantage even before they enter school. New research, carried out by the University of Cambridge’s Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre on behalf of the charity, Their world, and launched today in the report Bright and...