The Importance of Early Childhood Development

The first five years of your child's life lay the groundwork for how his brain will develop.
These short and critical years are essential to his cognitive, social and emotional well-being. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if a child is reared in an environment where his developmental needs are not being met, the risk of him experiencing learning delays is increased. Early childhood education works to meet these needs.

  1. Cognitive Development

    • Children begin to learn cognitive skills--mental and symbolic reasoning--between the ages of 2 and 7. Early childhood education exposes children to an environment where they constantly have interaction with literacy and language. It also improves their "phonological awareness," which is a child's ability to recognize and work with sounds in language. According to the U.S. Department of Education, phonological awareness prior to attending kindergarten is a key factor in how quickly a child will learn to read.

    Emotional Development

    • Early childhood education can improve your child's "emotional intelligence." Emotional intelligence is the ability to properly interpret emotions. When you are emotionally smart, you are able to understand your own feelings. In addition, you are able to comprehend the emotions of other people. Many early childhood development programs work on teaching children the skills to have and build social relationships.

    Social Development

    • Parents, peers, and the media play an intricate role in the social development of children. When children are socially competent they know how to get along with other children and adults in productive ways. For example, a child who understands how he should act in a specific social environment, like school, will have better self-control. Having this skill will cause him to be less apt to misbehave while a teacher is talking or providing instruction. Early childhood education enables a child to practice these skills.

    Head Start

    • All children can benefit from early education programs, but not all families have the means to pay for them. In an effort to eliminate the gap between the "have and have-nots" of early childhood education, Head Start was created to serve low-income households, and it provides a comprehensive early childhood education program. Head Start is governed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Originally, Head Start was an eight-week summer program launched in 1965 by the Office of Economic Opportunity's Community Program. The program was so successful that it is still serving the needs of children.

    Considerations

    • In addition to an early childhood education program, a parent can set her child up for success by reading aloud to her. This practice will aid in building her sound and language skills. Reading aloud to your child will also get her used to hearing certain rhyme schemes.

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