Well-designed program evaluations, designed to promote early child development, show that children who participate in these programs tend to be more successful in later school years, are more socially and emotionally competent, and show greater verbal and intellectual development during the school year. early childhood, unlike children who do not participate in quality programs.
The Benefits of Quality, DIT Programs in the United States:
School Success
Children who attend quality programs for early childhood:
- they are better prepared for the transition from kindergarten to school
- they demonstrate more ability in examinations of cognitive aptitude and linguistic development
- they maintain achievements in intellectual functioning until 3 or 4 years after the end of the program
- they are less frequently assigned to special education classes
- they usually graduate and follow a post-secondary education or training
Social and Emotional Competence
Children who attend quality programs for early childhood:
- they show greater motivation to learn and dedicate themselves to school
- they demonstrate greater social competence when they are preschoolers, in kindergarten, in the primary grades and in the secondary
- show greater sociability; their parents and classmates classify them as more friendly and sociable
- their professors consider them more attentive and oriented to the accomplishment of tasks Better Opportunities for Health
Children who attend quality programs for early childhood:
- greater access to health care programs and better physical health
- receive better dental care demonstrate better nutritional status and better eating habits
Numerous longitudinal studies have been conducted in the United States to demonstrate the benefit and effectiveness of child development programs for children living in poverty. These studies demonstrate the profound impact that early experiences have on adult life and productivity.
The positive findings of longitudinal studies are echoed in evaluations of early child development programs in developing countries. The following benefits have been consistently attributed to comprehensive programs in early childhood.
Better nutrition and health. By providing psycho social stimulation, ED programs can increase the effectiveness of health care and nutrition initiatives. These programs can also help ensure that children receive health care. For example, in Colombia, children who participate in the Community Child Nutrition and Care Project are required to complete their vaccination within six months of entering the program. Such programs can also monitor growth and provide food and micro nutrient supplements, as implemented by India’s Integrated Child Development Services Program, and can contribute to public health efforts such as mass vaccinations.
Superior Intelligence. Children who participated in the following early childhood programs: First Home Visit Program (Jamaica), Cali Project (Colombia), Non-School Initial Education Program – PRONOUNCE (Peru), and Early Enrichment Project (Turkey) obtained on average higher scores on intellectual aptitude tests than those children who did not participate.
Higher school enrollment rate. The Promise Program, from Colombia, cited a significantly higher enrollment rate (in later years of schooling) among program children than among non-participants.
Lower rate of school repetition. Children who participated in the early childhood program repeated fewer grades and progressed more in school than non-participants in similar circumstances. The children of the Promise Colombian Program, from the Alamo and Fortaleza study in the Northeast of Brazil and those from the Argentine study had, on average, a lower repetition rate.
Lower school dropout rate In 3 out of 4 studies, the dropout rate was lower for children who participated in these programs. In the Dalai program in India (the only study where attendance was measured), school attendance in higher years was 16% higher for children aged 6 to 8 years. In the Promise program in Colombia, the third grade enrollment rate rose by 100%, reflecting lower dropout and repetition rates. On the other hand, 60% of the children in the program reached fourth grade, compared with only 30% of children in the comparison group.
Help for those at a disadvantage. There is considerable evidence that programs for early childhood benefit the poor and disadvantaged particularly. In India’s Aryan project, for example, dropout rates did not change significantly for children of higher socioeconomic status but fell dramatically by 46% for children of lower socio-economic status and by 80% for those of medium socioeconomic status ( Khachaturian et al 1987). A study conducted in Jamaica unequivocally proves that the nutritional supplement for malnourished children-most come from disadvantaged families-improves mental development (Grant ham-McGregor et al 1991). The programs in India and Guatemala resulted in a significant reduction in the age of girls’ enrollment, Advantages of early stimulation in boys and girls
Among the advantages of early stimulation in children , it is found that children develop faster social, emotional, motor and cognitive abilities. This process can be done since the babies are one month old.
This stimulation is done through activities usually carried out by their parents, in which their muscles are strengthened, the ability to react and reason, the safety to relate to other people and communication through words and sounds. Next we are going to name some activities of early stimulation in children .
10 activities of early stimulation in
child development
A good activity for early stimulation in younger children is to give a small massage on the head and body of the baby, this should be soft, but cover each area of ​​the head and body.
- Singing lullabies is a good activity, as the children begin to relate the words, to have an appropriate communication. In addition a stronger affective lasso is created with the parents.
- An appropriate activity of early stimulation in children is to put the baby lying on his stomach, this with the objective of moving his head from one side to the other, for which he should be shown flashy plays on both sides.
- Telling a story every night makes the child learn to relate to the environment, recognize the environment and learn to communicate through different sounds and words.
- Teaching him where he is and what each body part is called, allows the child to have better control of his body and to be able to react in an appropriate way, as well as learn to coordinate his movements.
- When children express themselves in some positive way, it is appropriate to congratulate them, so that they continue to explore other alternatives to develop in an integral way. The love of parents is the main motivator for children of different ages to explore everything that surrounds them.
- When you are feeding or changing the baby it is appropriate for the parents to speak to you, in this way the communication skills in the child and the parents and the child are being developed.
- Helping babies to feel supported on the palms of their hands is important, if the children achieve this it is important to congratulate them and motivate them by applauding them.
- Another activity for early stimulation in children is to call him by his name, appearing and disappearing, in this way the baby will know that they are referring to him and will also learn to play and interact with other people.
- Good activity for children between 2 and 6 years to pay attention is to show them an image, and then show a picture with several different drawings, they should select only the drawings that were initially shown.
Child development and early stimulation
Importance of early stimulation
Early stimulation is a great tool that you can use to stimulate and encourage the physical, emotional and intelligence development of children. It is based on the fact that the sooner the potentialities are stimulated the more and the better a child can develop and the earlier. It is scientifically proven that early education favors the development of intelligence, which will give advantages in their social and emotional development.
Aspects covered by a stimulation program
Work in different areas: Timely stimulation includes aspects of intelligence, as well as emotional and physical aspects.
Work time: It is about unfolding what each child can give at a certain stage of their development.
Gradual work: Although a series of aspects that are supposed to be those that can be developed at one stage of life are possible, early stimulation points to the potentialities that can always be developed in an ever-increasing trend. . The important thing here is that the child does not stop developing what he has to give and learn.
Learning about the environment: Among the benefits of early stimulation is the advantage of positively stimulating the child, so that he can learn from his environment based on instruction from his parents, relatives or technical specialists.
Finally, in terms of early child development, we have enough information about the effect that different programs have had on young children. On the contrary, we know much less about its cost and, therefore, about its cost-effectiveness. Having information related to costs is crucial. The evidence of the effects on children is conclusive but policy makers need to know the cost of reaching more children.
