The first eight years of a child’s life is critical to their development, according to a new report.
For those creating games for the youngest users a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation highlights how important it is to start teaching children in the first eight years of life.
The report, The First Eight Years: giving kids a foundation for lifetime success, is built upon a mountain of data and the results, the authors write, demonstrate these early years are critical.
“Behind a toddler’s soft features and halting first steps, an unseen, but extremely high-stakes, activity is taking place — the building of a brain,” they write. “What happens to children during those critical first years will determine whether their maturing brain has a sturdy foundation or a fragile one.”
Despite the importance of this time period, the reports highlights critical gaps in services and support for both the parents and children, especially when it comes to lower income families.
Key Findings
- Only 19% of 8-year-olds in families with incomes below 200 percent of the poverty level and 50% of those in families with incomes above that level have age- appropriate cognitive skills.
- Only 14% of black and 19% of Hispanic children have age-appropriate cognitive skills.
- 63% of low-income 3- and 4-year-olds were not enrolled in a preschool program.
- In 2010–11, just 11 states required schools to offer full-day kindergarten, and five states didn’t require kindergarten at all.
As part of this effort, the Foundation has launched a massive data site that makes available information about this age group. The site, datacenter.kidscount.org, allows users to gather data about states or subgroups within the demographic and could provide timely information for those working on proposals or pitches.
But the main goal of the Kids Count effort is a series of policy recommendations captured at the end of the report. The authors argue more needs to be done to provide parents with the support, including daycare and food assistance, to help them raise their children. They also advocate for more programs to aid in the development of children mentally and physically, with a special focus on poorer families. Finally, the report argues for states to do a better job tracking children over time and measuring their development in a consistent manner.
The report’s focus on data, and the accompanying site mentioned above make even more sense when one reads the conclusion of the report that argues, “Every day that we delay is a day in the life of a child who could be benefiting from critical interventions. States have already shown great creativity in improving systems for children from birth through age 8. The federal government must work in partnership with states to build on their achievements. Policymakers at the federal, state and local levels should look to the decades of evidence on best practices in early childhood fields as they advance their legislative efforts.”
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