Does the early childhood education and care in India contribute to children's skill development?

Abstract

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) is a crucial intervention because of its long‐term impact on child development. However, information concerning the effectiveness of the ECEC in developing countries like India is sparsely available. This empirical study drew upon primary data collected from India's eastern state, West Bengal and investigated whether attending preschool contributed to children's cognitive and social skill development. The study found that attending preschool did not provide dividends in the form of cognitive and social skill accumulation. Furthermore, attending private preschool was associated with socioemotional development but no cognitive development. Moreover, parents' education seems to be a strong predictor for child's development. Given the findings of this paper, preschools in India, both in the public and private sectors, would need considerable quality improvement to deliver developmentally appropriate ECEC to children. It is particularly relevant in the context of the new National Education Policy in India, which emphasises the need to provide universal access to high‐quality ECCE to all young children across the country.

Parental and Teacher Factors Associated with Cognitive Development of Preschool Children

“…It means mothers with higher education had children with higher cognitive skills, whereas the mothers with less education had less skilled children. This finding agreeing on significant role of mother's education on children's cognitive development is supported by the findings of many studies that showed statistically significant association between maternal education and children's cognitive ability (Ajayi et al, 2017;Aturupane et al, 2013;Bogale et al, 2013;Duncan & Magnuson, 2012;Firkowska et al, 1978;Ghosh, 2023;Kaplan et al, 2001;Muñez et al, 2022;Warsito et al, 2012). Thus, mother's education is a potent factor for children's cognitive development.…”

“…However, the association of parent and teacher characteristics with children's cognitive development shows mixed results. Parental education positively predicts their children's cognitive outcomes (Ajayi et al, 2017;Aturupane et al, 2013;Ghosh, 2023;Sania et al, 2019;Singh & Mukherjee, 2017). But mother's influence on the children's cognitive development is the most powerful than fathers (Ajayi et al, 2017;Bogale et al, 2013;Emerson et al, 2018;Flôres et al, 2019;Kaplan et al, 2001;Muñez et al, 2022;Sania et al, 2019;Warsito et al, 2012).…”