Everybody wants what’s best for their child, and for some, that means trying to decide between sending them to daycare or keeping them at home. And while there are certainly pros and cons for both, it doesn’t take a lot of research to build a strong case for the benefits of early education.
For the first few years of a child’s life, their brain forms over one million new neural connections every second, making this period of rapid development a crucial time to learn certain long-lasting skills. Early education has consistently proven to be one of the best ways to promote social, emotional, and cognitive aptitude in children—setting them up for success in school and the world beyond.
Benefits of Early Childhood Education
Improves Cognitive Development

Cognitive development in young children refers to how they think—particularly their reasoning, problem-solving, and memory skills as they start to become more aware of the world around them and try to make sense of it. Through educational lessons, hands-on activities, and creativity exercises, early education centers such as daycares create an environment where children engage different, formative parts of their brains on a daily basis.
In fact, research has shown that children who do not attend nursery or daycare are 50% more likely to start school with a development vulnerability. This highlights the importance of using your child’s early years as an opportunity to lay the groundwork for a solid cognitive foundation.
Creates a Love of Learning

Early education centers can help instill a love of learning in children that they can carry with them throughout their educational journey. This is done by fostering curiosity and exploration through play-based learning, a positive environment, and new experiences. It is less academically rigid and more lighthearted than traditional schooling, regardless of whether the curriculum involves challenging or academic tasks. Oftentimes, it involves personalizing activities to engage your child’s unique interests.
This helps children develop intrinsic motivation to ask questions and seek out answers to things they don’t know. Plus, it gets them familiarized with the rhythm and routine of school, thereby making the future transition to kindergarten a lot less jarring.
Develops Social and Emotional Skills

Many interpersonal skills, unfortunately, can’t be taught in the privacy of your own home. Children need to interact and forge relationships with their peers in order to garner an understanding of basic social and emotional cues. These include (but are not limited to) things such as conflict resolution, effective listening, emotion recognition (and expression), sharing, and taking turns.
Daycares create an environment where daily interactions with other children their age encourage the development of these skills early on, as well as help children explore the evolution of their own unique personalities. This is especially important when you consider that kids with good social skills tend to grow up to be happier, healthier, and more accomplished adults.
Increased Chances of Success

Children who participated in early education programs have been found to experience increased chances of success well into adulthood. Particularly, studies have shown that these children have better academic performance throughout their schooling, are more likely to graduate from high school and college, and tend to earn more wages than children who did not participate in early education.
Children who receive early education are also less likely to be incarcerated or succumb to depression. Overall, high-quality programs have proven to provide strong foundations that eventually turn impressionable children into productive, high-functioning adults.
Teaches Independence

As your child grows and develops, it is entirely normal for them to develop separation anxiety. For the first few years of their life, all they know is the safety and comfort of your company, and can therefore get nervous when apart. While this is fine in small doses, it is important to foster confidence in your child when you’re not around so that the problem doesn’t worsen, leading to increased symptoms of distress.
Early education centers allow your child to become comfortable in your absence, teaching them to be independent and discover their own identity. Over time, it will become easy for your child to be dropped off at daycare—they will be excited for the day ahead, with the understanding that they will get to see you again at the end of the day.
Gives Parents Freedom

Let’s face it—raising a child is not easy. As much as you enjoy spending time with them, it’s emotionally and physically taxing to try and keep up with their demands every minute of the day. It also likely means that you’re unable to work full-time, thereby losing out on precious finances. This can create parental burnout that eventually takes a toll on your mental health.
Daycares allow your child to safely be under someone else’s watch while you get some of your life back, regardless of whether you enroll them full or part-time. You can use this opportunity to get a job, catch up on things at home, or simply take a few moments to relax. As a result, you’ll likely be happier and more present when your child is home.
Contact Us Today
If you’re interested in introducing your child to the overwhelming benefits of early education, consider enrolling them in daycare at Cornerstone Academy. We specialize in the development of language, social skills, independence, art, and imagination through premier educational programs and playtime.
Contact us today with any questions or to schedule a tour of our facilities. We are here to help lead your child toward the path to success.