Does Early Childhood Education Matter?

The 30 hours of basic childcare training I had to do had one really valuable concept that it conveyed.  

It discussed how home situations of young children can sometimes be traumatic.  There may be substance abuse, poverty, violence, divorce, etc… and this all can have an effect on the child.  Statistically the more of these the child has to deal with, the more likely they are to end up addicted, homeless, having chronic illnesses, etc…

The point that was made in the class was that a single adult who is consistently caring and supportive can help to balance out the “stress scale” and help the child to grow up and be able to function well in life.  

I agree with this.  I can see how important it is to have early childhood educators that are stable, comforting, and validating of the good parts of each child.  It makes sense to me that this could change the trajectory of a child’s life and possibly give them enough of a boost in life to prevent those unwanted outcomes.  

I hadn’t really thought about that before.