DefinePK

Abstract

Early childhood care and education (ECCE) play a foundational role in shaping both academic success and social development in later years. This study investigates how high-quality early childhood care influences children’s academic achievement (literacy, numeracy, grade retention, dropout risk) and their social growth (peer relationships, emotional regulation, social competence). Drawing on longitudinal, quasi-experimental, and meta-analytic evidence from multiple recent studies, our analysis consolidates findings that demonstrate both short- and long-term benefits of ECCE across diverse geographic and socioeconomic settings.
First, process quality—teacher-child interactions, curriculum richness, and pedagogical practices—in early childhood settings has been shown to correlate positively with gains in language, literacy, and mathematics that persist into adolescence. For example, a meta-analysis in Europe covering ages 3 to 16 found stable small but meaningful effects of ECCE process quality on academic outcomes. (Ulferts, Wolf, & Anders, 2019) Second, public ECCE programs in Chile were associated with higher test scores in 4th, 10th, and 12th grades, lower probability of repeating grades, and reduced school dropout rates when compared to non-participants with similar backgrounds. (Cortázar, Molina, Sélman, & Manosalva, 2019) Third, in Pakistan’s Faisalabad district, evaluation of government ECCE centers revealed that children exposed to structured ECCE programs achieved significantly better learning outcomes than those who did not have access. (Nawaz, Ashraf, & Siddique, 2021)
On the side of social growth, ECCE contributes to improved emotional regulation, better peer interactions, and stronger readiness for school social demands. The embedded social-emotional learning in many high-quality ECCE settings enhances a child’s ability to manage behavior, collaborate with peers, and adapt to classroom structures.
However, the degree of impact depends heavily on several mediators: quality of educators and pedagogical content knowledge; consistency in curriculum implementation; resource availability; and parental/family engagement in early childhood care.
In sum, nurturing roots via early childhood care does more than prepare children for school: it fosters the social and academic soil necessary for thriving later in life. Investments in ECCE quality yield measurable dividends in academic success and social growth, especially for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.