– According to the charity, Save the Children, every nursery in England needs a qualified teacher to help toddlers develop their literacy skills. The organization warns that preschoolers who are not properly stimulated before starting formal school can be “set back decades.” The report, titled “Lighting Up Young Brains” and written in cooperation with the Institute of Child Health at University College London, refers to preschool years as a “critical opportunity” for key abilities development.

– The failure to teach good basic language skills can leave young students struggling to learn and unable to catch up with their more advanced peers. It seems that some parents are also responsible for this worrying situation by showing timid ambitions toward their children’s early learning. Among 1,000 parents interviewed in relation to this research, 47 percent of them said they expected their child to know 100 words by age 3. The big problem is that it is only half the recommended number of 200 words!

– “That’s perhaps one of the most important lessons we’ve learned from these studies – that these early years are absolutely critical. Much more must be done to boost children’s early learning,” said Torsten Baldeweg, professor of neuroscience and child health at UCL’s Institute of Child Health.

– “Toddlers’ brains are like sponges, absorbing knowledge and making new connections faster than at any other time in life,” said Save the Children’s director of UK poverty, Gareth Jenkins.

First day in Nursery School (YouTube.com)

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