Health Equity: Center-Based Early Childhood Education

CDC

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Center-based early childhood education programs aim to improve the cognitive or social development of children ages 3 or 4 years.

-Programs must include an educational component that addresses one or more of the following: literacy, numeracy, cognitive development, socio-emotional development, and motor skills.
-Programs may offer additional components including recreation, meals, health care, parental supports, and social services.
-Programs may enroll children before they are 3 years of age.

Impact

The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) recommends center-based early childhood education programs (ECE) to improve educational outcomes that are associated with long-term health as well as social- and health-related outcomes. Economic evidence indicates there is a positive return on investment in early childhood education. The benefits from students' future earnings gains alone exceed program costs.

If targeted to low-income or racial and ethnic minority communities, ECE programs are likely to reduce educational achievement gaps, improve the health of these student populations, and promote health equity.

Results / Accomplishments

Education-related outcomes:
-Test scores: mean increase of 0.29 standard deviations (27 study arms)
-High school graduation: mean increase of 0.20 standard deviations (7 study arms)
-Grade retention (in which children are held back from the next grade because they have not succeeded in required learning): mean decrease of 0.23 standard deviations (12 study arms)
-Assignment to special education (in which children are taken out of the standard learning track and assigned to receive extra attention because of learning difficulties): mean decrease of 0.28 standard deviations (6 study arms)

Social- and Health-related outcomes:
-Crime rates: mean decrease of 0.23 standard deviations (5 study arms)
-Teen birth rates: mean decrease of 0.46 standard deviations (3 study arms)
-Self-Regulation: mean increase of 0.21 standard deviations (5 study arms)
-Emotional development: mean increase of 0.04 standard deviations (7 study arms)

About this Promising Practice

Primary Contact
The Community Guide
1600 Clifton Rd, NE
MS V25-5
Atlanta, GA 30329
(404) 498-1827
communityguide@cdc.gov
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/
Topics
Education / Childcare & Early Childhood Education
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