Experts widely agree that high-quality early childhood education yields long-term academic benefits.
But what happens when children miss out on this opportunity? The California Department of Education recently released data showing a 2.6% decline in K-12 enrollment, the largest drop in 20-plus years. More than a third was in kindergarten — a critical year for learning and child development, particularly literacy and oral language development.
Research indicates that kindergarten is a period of tremendous cognitive growth. Although kindergarten isn’t mandatory in California, many students, particularly English learners, greatly benefit from the additional time to listen, speak and cultivate language skills throughout the day.