A US expert on early childhood care said yesterday that the State could reap major social and economic benefits if it invests in high-quality pre-school education for children in Ireland.
Clay Shouse, vice-president of the US-based High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, said a long-term research project showed that poor children who received high-quality pre-school programmes benefited significantly in school and in intellectual development.
The study also showed that the benefits extended well into adulthood. People aged 40 who participated in a pre-school programme in their early years had higher earnings, were more likely to hold a job, had committed fewer crimes and were more likely to have graduated from high-school.
The landmark study, called the High/Scope Perry Pre-school Study, which began in the 1960s, indicates that for every dollar invested, there was a return to the State of $17.
"The return to society is in the form of people not going into special education, not going to prison, getting jobs and contributing to the country," Mr Shouse told a seminar organised by Barnardos yesterday.
The intensive form of pre-school education is also advocated in the National Social and Economic Forum's (NESF) report into childcare, which is being considered by the Government.
The NESF report proposes that parents should be offered one year's free childcare for pre-school children. The High/Scope approach also forms the foundation of a new publication on best practice in childcare in Ireland by Barnardos, Once in a Lifetime, published yesterday.
Anne Conroy, the national manager of Barnardos' National Children's Resource Centre, said the issue of high-quality childcare was one which did not appear to form part of the political agenda.
"The focus tends to be on the economic angle: who pays, how much and supply and demand. The quality of childcare and children's developmental needs receive less attention," she said.
"Barnardos has long been committed to the development of high-quality early-years services for children, as the importance of the first years in a child's life cannot be overstated. This guide offers a contribution to developing best practice in the sector, working with children in their very early childhood."
