Press Release
August 11, 2010

ANGARA EYES IMPROVEMENT ON RP'S EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Senator Edgardo J. Angara today said the country needs to improve its early childhood education system and underscored the need to invest more in early childhood education in order to gain competitiveness in the global arena.

"We ought to ensure continuity in making efforts to provide holistic development for children in their most important period where they gain the foundation of future learning. Behavioral science said that there is nothing more critical in a child's life than this early formation" said Angara who chairs the Senate Committee on Education.

He added, "Children who undergo pre-school are less aggressive, less prone to violence. For example, the Syracuse Family Development Research Program provided family development support for children from prenatal care through age five. Ten years later, these kids reported 70% reductions in problems with probation and criminal offenses from the average."

It has been shown that children who attended pre-school score 27% higher on a standard math test compared to students that didn't attend pre-school. Preschool boosts a child's cognitive and language and social development.

An evaluation of the Infant Health Development Program (IHDP), which provided pre-primary education and healthcare support to poor, malnourished toddlers showed that children exposed to the program longer had higher IQ than those who had shorter exposure to IHDP.

"By investing in our children we can save more resources because education is the most cost-effective way to reduce poverty and foster economic growth," said Angara.

Further, Angara stressed the vital role of our educators as their work has the greatest potential to shape our country's future.

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