That period before your kids officially go to school is critical to their development. Early childhood education doesn’t mean that your children have to attend a regular school. What they need are activities and tasks that will develop their skills such as social, emotional, cognitive, and even physical. What your kids do during this period will have a huge impact on their future, to the point that it might affect their ability to earn a living, buy a house before they turn 39, and save enough for early retirement.
Interaction
At the most, kids as young as one to three years old will only interact with their primary caregivers—parents, grandparents, siblings, and babysitters. This is a small circle of people that will teach your children how to talk, play, and socialize. But kids who are not exposed to childcare early learning centers are three million words short of vocabulary before they enter kindergarten. So, aside from the interaction they experience in the household, they need early childhood education to improve their vocabulary and make them better speakers and listeners.
Interests and Passions
Do you know that kids as young as three years old can already start to develop their interests and passions for sports, music, and arts? Many professional athletes have begun playing their sports at such an early age of four years old. Some of them may even be younger than that. Musicians have played guitar and piano as soon as they reached three years old. Exposure to sports, music, and arts will have a huge impact in opening your kids’ eyes to what they might want to pursue in the future.
Reading and Math Achievements
Early childhood education will play a huge role in the academic achievements of children in the future. Studies showed that if they are exposed to letters and numbers belatedly, they will have a hard time learning them at all. Their minds will be wired to playing and socializing more than the “adventure” of learning. The ability to recognize letters and numbers at an early age will help kids become confident with their abilities. They will bring this confidence with them once they start attending regular school.
Earnings
Education experts said that early childhood learning also has a huge impact on the ability of people to earn livable wages in the future. As their minds grow and acquire knowledge, they will develop skills necessary for future success. Early exposure to academics and life skills such as socializing will improve your kids’ decision-making. In the future, once they are ready to join the real world, they will pull from the knowledge and skills they acquire from all those years and use those to provide for their families.
Home Ownership
Do you know that early childhood can also influence homeownership? Studies show that children who had entered school early were able to buy their own homes before they turned 30 or as early as 27 years old? Children who develop important social skills mature earlier than their peers thus have a better understanding of the importance of owning homes before they settle down. The earlier the children are exposed to the realities of life, the more that they will make practical decisions about homeownership when the time is right.
Retirement Savings
Those who attended early childhood education programs have better opportunities when it is time for them to work. With more hard and soft skills, they’re able to clinch their dream jobs and join companies that compensate well. This opportunity empowers them to start preparing for their retirement early. They’re able to save more than the average retirements savings of their peers who were not exposed to education early on.
Relationships
One of the many negative impacts of the pandemic will be felt a decade from now when kids who are as young as two and three today will find themselves interacting with their peers. What kind of impact did the pandemic have on their social skills and their ability to maintain relationships? They’ve been practically locked up inside their homes for the better part of two years. The lack of interaction with kids of the same ages, teachers, administrators, and playmates will have a huge impact on their ability to maintain friendships and other social relationships.
Investing in early childhood education isn’t only great for your child. It’s also great for the economy and the people who will eventually become a part of your children’s lives. Early childhood education programs are designed to provide a holistic approach to learning.
