Researchers at the University of Hong Kong, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Beijing Normal University, Cornell University, and California Polytechnic State University have recently published an article in the journal Child Development which bodes well for early childhood education advocates in the developing world.
Nirmala Rao, professor of education at the University of Hong Kong noted, “Given current interest in developing preschool programs globally, evaluation research that considers the costs and benefits of such programs in developing countries is timely.” We agree.
Researchers observed three types of preschool programs available in Cambodia: state preschools, community preschools, and home-based programs. To evaluate each program’s effectiveness, 880 5-year-olds from six provinces were observed for developmental gains during the year.
Although the type of preschool students attended had a strong influence on gains, with state preschools as the clear winner, students enrolled in any of the three programs showed improvements over students not enrolled in preschool at all. We’ve known that preschool produces a variety of positive outcomes in the developed world, finding corollary benefits in Cambodia is not surprising, but welcome.
Creative Commons Love: cambodia4kids.org
Written by Michael Jones