High-Quality Early Care Promotes Social, Emotional and Cognitive Development in At-Risk Young Children

Young children raised in impoverished households lack access to crucial resources needed for optimal social, emotional and cognitive brain development. Unfortunately, child poverty is on the rise in Memphis - from 2003 to 2009, the percentage of young children living in impoverished families rose from 35 to 43 percent (Kids Count). When 2010 numbers become available, this percentage is likely to be even higher.

High-Quality Early Care Makes a Difference

Here’s the good news: researchers may have found the equalizer in high-quality early care and education. For our youngest at-risk children, attending an enriching early care program may help to offset a vulnerable home life and helps children develop the  framework needed for academic success. According to Boston College professor Eric Dearing, whose team evaluated data of more than 1,300 children in 10 regions across the United States, “even minimal exposure to higher-quality child care at times was enough to offset the deprivation often encountered when growing up poor” (West, 2009, p. 1).

Dearing suggests that the advantages of high-quality early care were seen in most children, no matter their socioeconomic status. Interestingly, though, the observed impact became more significant as the family income levels dropped. The study results also suggest that the effect of high quality care increases with exposure—the more time spent in an educational setting, the better.

What is High-Quality Early Care​

The study team, which includes researchers from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Samford University, defines “higher quality” day care as environments that focus on each child, that actively engage with the children, and are committed to providing emotional support to infants and toddlers. Effective early care, Dearing suggests, is a category far broader than just the exclusive, high-dollar programs usually located in wealthy neighborhoods. Instead, top-notch early care can be as familiar as a grandparent’s house or as standardized as a traditional community day care center.

Low-income families need affordable, accessible child care while parents are on the job or attending school. Impoverished families, however, are typically obliged to utilize inferior care because it’s all they can afford. Although the study did not make targeted suggestions on how to enhance early care in poor environments, the researchers suggest that when families are better informed about the dimensions of high-quality early care, they are more likely to seek it.