It’s always worth revisiting what we think we know.
In recent years, there’s been a trend among early childhood researchers to keep moving the focus to earlier and earlier in children’s lives. The storyline might go something like this: Sure, grade school matters, but we need to think about high-quality preschools to level the playing field. Actually, preschool is too late — the interactions kids have with their parents in the first years of life are really what’s crucial for development....
Of course, that narrative is crudely fatalistic and one that any early childhood expert would take issue with. But the broader point remains: There’s been a marked shift in research and policy circles towards the first few years of life, along with a growing consensus that earlier is always better for interventions designed to tackle early childhood problems.
That’s what makes two new meta-analysesled by researchers at Oxford so interesting. The researchers looked at a wide range of parenting interventions — programs that focus on the parent-child relationship to improve behavior — but found scant support for the idea that earlier is always better.
To continue reading this article by Ryan White, go to: https://www.centerforhealthjou...arly-childhood-theme
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