There are clear benefits for disadvantaged children spending up to 20 hours per week in early years provision, Sutton Trust study finds.
Children from less advantaged backgrounds who attend nursery and childcare settings have better cognitive development, language and communication skills and ‘positively benefit’ from provision up to 20 hours a week, according to new research from the Sutton Trust.
The analysis, conducted by Professor Edward Melhuish at the University of Oxford, looked at the impact the number of hours three- and four year-olds spend in early years education and care, with breakdowns by socio-economic background.
It found that the relationship between children’s development between the ages of three and five and children’s exposure to early childhood care and education is ‘complex’ and ‘differs substantially’ between children from disadvantaged families and their more advantaged peers.
