PRE-SCHOOL: It’s Not All Fun and Games
When most people think of pre-school or kindergarten, they think of playtime, finger painting, and
singing songs. But for the young children aged 1 to 6 who participate in early childhood education
programs, these activities are crucial in helping them develop and grow.
In the remote regions of Central Asia where Central Asia Institute works, most children don’t have
access to quality early childhood education programs, and that puts them at a big disadvantage.
Central Asia Institue is working to change that by rebuilding and expanding kindergartens, training
pre-school teachers in modern early childhood development teaching methodologies, and other
activities. The enormous benefits these programs provide to a small child are both immediate and
long term. Here are just a few:
Benefits of early childhood education programs:
IMPROVED ABILITY TO LEARN
Most of the neurons in the human brain are
created in the first three years of life, and
85% OF BRAIN
DEVELOPMENT
IMPROVED SCHOOL READINESS
AND EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS
At-risk children who do not participate
in early education programs are
60% more likely
occurs before the age of 5. In short,
early learning helps create a brain that
is designed to learn. to never attend college and 50% more likely
to be placed in special education programs
for those with learning disabilities.
IMPROVED SOCIALIZATION
AND SOCIO-EMOTIONAL
PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS INCREASED CHANCE OF
GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL
At-risk children who do not receive
quality early education are
70% more likely
to be arrested for
a violent crime.
65% OF STUDENTS
who receive high-quality early childhood education
go on to graduate from high school, compared
to 45% of students who were not enrolled in such
programs. This is especially true for girls.
IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY
AND EARNING POTENTIAL
$
By the age of 40 ,
adults who participated in an early education
program earn more than those who did not.
SOURCES:
Gender Equity in Early Childhood Education / Kelly Grace and
Dana Stiles http://scalar.usc.edu/works/gender-equity-in-early-
childhood-education/why-is-early-childhood-education-
important (accessed September 2019)
School enrollment, preprimary / The World Bank
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRE.ENRR (accessed
September 2019)
The Perry Preschool Project / The HighScope Educational
Research Foundation
https://highscope.org/perry-preschool-project/ (accessed
September 2019)
FALL 2019
Recognizing the importance of early childhood
development, Central Asia Institute will continue to
support programs that allow young children to learn
and grow.
Visit centralasiainstitute.org to get the latest on
upcoming initiatives and stories from the field.
JOURNEY OF HOPE | 17