Children who come from difficult home circumstances can greatly benefit from starting preschool early. That’s what a new report shows.
– They tend to get better test results and opportunities in professional life, says the researcher behind the report, Jonas Jessen.
According to the report, childcare, if it is of good quality, before the age of three can both improve health and be beneficial for future performance. But being in a home environment with your parents doesn’t have to be worse. It simply depends on how well the childcare works versus how the child is doing at home.
– We see that children from difficult home conditions benefit greatly from early childcare. If children go to childcare at an early age, they tend to have better test results and better career opportunities on average. So children benefit from early childcare in many ways if they come from disadvantaged backgrounds, says Jonas Jessen.
The effects of parental leave
When childcare is poor, research shows that children instead benefit from longer parental leave.
– We know that parental leave is important for children’s development during the first months, so it is very beneficial for the children. But if the goal is children’s development, there is really no reason to extend parental leave after six months.
The report, which was commissioned by the Study Association of Business and Society, points out that good childcare can increase all children’s social skills and even out the differences between the children’s conditions. But the threshold can be high for parents to leave their child early.
– Some parents are of course worried when their children have to be left at preschool at an early age. But when the quality of early childcare is good, as it is in Sweden, you don’t need to worry as a parent, says Jonas Jessen.
In the player above: Hear Jonas Jessen comment on the report.