(The main article was published in Sydney Morning Herald)
- For centuries the great advantage has been seen as inherited wealth. But, as The Economist magazine pointed out a few years ago, in the knowledge economy it’s probably just as advantageous, maybe more, to inherit your intelligence from two highly educated, well-paid, education-conscious and bookish parents.
- We should worry a lot about the continuing high high-school dropout rate. They join the workforce without a good grasp of the basics and the rest of your working life is likely to be ‘‘problematic’’.
- The bad news is that, when it comes to making sure all children attend preschool, Australians started much later than most of the other rich countries and aren’t catching up nearly as fast as Australians would be if we had more sense.
we need to invest more in preschool - According to the Ontario early learning study, ‘‘the early years from conception to age six have the most important influence of any time in the life cycle on brain development and learning, behavior, and health’’. Early experiences and stimulating, positive interactions with adults and other children are far more important for brain development than previously realized
investing in early learning is a widely accepted approach, backed by extensive evidence, for governments and families to foster children’s development, lay the foundations for future learning and well-being, and reduce downstream expenditure on health, welfare, and justice’
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- While all children benefit from high quality early learning, research also shows that children experiencing higher levels of disadvantage benefit the most, and can even catch up to their more advantaged peers
- Nearly a quarter of Australian children arrive at school with significant vulnerabilities – in their knowledge and communication, their social skills and emotional wellbeing, or in their physical health.
- A child’s risk of being developmentally vulnerable is inversely correlated with their socio-economic status.
- British research shows 16-year-olds who attended at least two years of preschool were three times more likely to take a higher academic pathway after leaving school.
- It’s easier to get kids up to speed in preschool than at any later level of education. The smart way to improve the performance of the system is to start at the bottom. Make sure we get preschool right, and the benefits will flow on to schools, TAFE and Uni.
