Cognitive Development and Education

Universal Preschool Education Importance of Universal Preschool Education Many countries including the US and the UK consider the provision of universal preschool education an aspect that should be adopted for better social and economic development. The preschool education entails the government funding educational programs for all children who are below six years of age. The increased need for this provision is highly attributed to the rapid globalization where countries perceive education as the cornerstone for their development (Swiniarski, 2007).

Some scholars argue that providing the education does not add any good to the society due to the limited time that children have in bonding with their parents and community and developing the necessary social skills. However, I believe that preschool education is necessary and all countries should adopt. Providing preschool education contributes to their social and learning development (Swiniarski, 2007).

In this case, children are introduced earlier to the learning environment where they interact adequately with their teachers, peers, and reading materials that create a good foundation for their future social and learning development. When children start schooling earlier, their intellectual development is enhanced due to their exposure to different learning conditions that challenge their thinking and problem-solving abilities (Hustedt, Barnett, Jung, & Figueras, 2008).

A report by the National Literacy Trust shows that preschool education benefits the children since they demonstrate great abilities to read and solve mathematical questions at age six. This implies that with universal preschool, children learn faster the basic aspects that determine their future academic success (Swiniarski, 2007). Moreover, preschool education improves the overall cognitive development of the children.

In a review performed by Doggett & Wat (2010), it became evident that children provided with preschool education scored 41% higher in assessment related to letter-word identification when compared to those who did not receive preschool education. It also showed that preschool education is effective in eliminating incidences of grade repetition, special education placement, and dropping out of children at their later stages of learning and.