The Importance of Early Childhood

It is not a new claim that a person's experiences during early childhood have an ongoing effect during their lives. John Locke (1632-1704) argued that the mind is a 'blank slate' on which life's experiences shapes a person's nature. Developmental psychologists such as Freud, Piaget, Erikson and  Kohlberg have all pointed to critical developmental transitions in early childhood that permanently direct the course of a person's behaviours. To ensure children develop into citizens capable of contributing and participating in modern industrial societies, governments have developed a range of services to ensure each child has access to experiences that maximise her cognitive, social and moral development.

Both animal studies and human neuroscience have demonstrated that the quality of the environment has a direct effect on brain development. Rats raised non-stimulating cages have smaller brain weights and perform poorly on maze tasks. Children raised in low-SES families come to school with below average language skills, while recent neurocognitve research provides evidence that childhood poverty has a negative effect on intelligence. Research from psychology, neuroscience and the social sciences point to three main effects of poverty on the developing child: below average skills necessary for schooling, differences in brain development and poorer social skills. The result is that many of these children are well behind their middle-SES peers in school readiness, but also school capability.

An obvious intervention to ensure low-SES children are afforded the opportunity to succeed in life is public preschools. Both Western Australia and the ACT offer universal public preschools with 90% of children participating. Preschools teach children essential skills such as how to use a book, hold a pencil and listen to instructions as part of a class. As well, the rich learning environment supports brain development through encouraging richer synaptic connections within the brain. Probably even more critically, preschools can identify medical and developmental problems at an early age for prompt intervention before formal schooling.

The Sydney Morning Herald recently reprinted a speech by  Professor Tony Vinson to the NSW Primary Principals Association regarding NSW public preschools. He has investigated the connection between family poverty and later juvenile criminal behaviours. His later research into education highlighted the importance of providing low-SES children with early experiences such as public preschools to ameliorate developmental disadvantages. 

Vinson has recently surveyed principals of public preschools in response to the O'Farrell Government's introduction of preschool fees. He found that many principals feared that the fees would exclude the most disadvantaged children from accessing preschool places. Vinson argued that the provision of public preschools are essential to ensure that a child's low-SES status does not trap them into a life of poverty, crime and the resulting costs to society.

The Australian has reported on research that places the critical period of a child's life before preschool age to birth up to three years of age. This makes sense from a developmental neuroscience perspective as it is these years in which the most important post-natal structural changes occur in the brain.

If Australia is ever going to come close to ending inter-generational poverty, governments must invest in a broad range of intervention services for children in low-SES families. We are best placed to do this being the richest per-capita nation in the world.

Unfortunately the O'Farrell Government's introduction of fees for public preschools will be a backward step in addressing poverty in NSW and harm the life opportunities of many children.