How early should children be going to school?
Posted Nov 23, 2011 10:09:36 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO – A new study recommends publicly funded pre-school education for all Canadian kids beginning at age two.
The report is the third in a trio of reports on the state of early childhood learning. The study provides the social, economic and scientific rationale for public investment in young children and recommends that all children be entitled to an early education from age two.
The Early Years Study 3, which was released yesterday in Toronto and Montreal, says getting kids into education earlier would benefit the children and the country as a whole.
The study says for children, early education results in improved school readiness, graduation levels, future earnings and health. The study adds the economy would benefit because affordable, available child care would allow women to return to work faster after childbirth and permit them to move from part-time to full-time work.
The study’s Early Childhood Education Index says currently Quebec is the national leader in early childhood policy development, followed by Prince Edward Island, Manitoba and Ontario.
