RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Why is Early Year Education Important for the Development of Children's Literacy?

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Why is Early Year Education Important for the Development of Children's Literacy?

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

The longer-term impact of early education has attracted quality childcare and cognitive and language skills (NICHD, considerable attention. Notable studies include the Effective 2000). Another major US study, Magnuson et al. (2007), also Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE) project found a positive effect of prekindergarten on children's which showed early education in England to be a key readiness for school, in terms of cognitive skills, but negative determinant of cognitive and social! behavioural development effects on children's behaviour.

Attending prekindergarten for children through to the end of Key Stage 1 (KS1) at age located in the same public school as kindergarten however, did seven (Sylva et al., 2004). These impacts were sustained not result in negative consequences for behaviour, while the beyond age seven such that children in years five and six of positive cognitive benefits were still observed primary schooling, at ages ten and eleven, also had better. Correspondingly, Belsky et al. (2007), using the NICHD, outcomes (Sammons et al., 2008; Sylva et al., 2008) found children who had experienced higher quality care However, these longer-term impacts depend on the quality and obtained higher vocabulary scores at fifth grade and those effectiveness of the early years' provision. Quality here is spending longer hours in childcare had more problematic measured using the Early Childhood Environment Rating behaviours reported by their teachers. Scales, ECERS-R (Harms et al., 1998) and ECERS-E (Sylva et al., 2006). At age fourteen, pre-school quality continued to predict children's academic attainment in maths and science as Policy developments in England have acknowledged the well as social and behavioural outcomes (Sylva et al., 2012). Benefits of early education with all four-year-olds entitled to a free early education place from 1998 onwards, with the free entitlement extended to all three-year-olds in 2004. By In the US, the National Institute of Child Health and Human legislation, local authorities are currently required to make Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care also found available sufficient free early education places offering a positive relationship between high hours a year over no fewer than 38 weeks of the year.

Significance of Early Years Foundation Stage

Every child in England is eligible for this free early education following their third birthday from either the start of the subsequent term, based on a three-term school year, or on specified dates again depending on when their birthday occurs. This continues until they reach compulsory school age, the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday. Attendance is not compulsory, but take-up of the free entitlement is high. In January 2012, 98 per cent of the four- year-old population and 93 per cent of the three-year old population benefited from some free early education (Department for Education, 2012). Most of these children accessed the full free entitlement such that when these figures are adjusted for part-time take-up, 92 per cent of ...