– According to the National Research Council, the earlier Children – as young as preschoolers – are exposed to Math learning, the better they will eventually succeed academically. During the previous decades, a strong focus has been placed on early literacy development, and this was a great move. However, research has shown that numeracy skills in preschool are an even stronger predictor of a student’s subsequent school performance than early literacy skills themselves.
A 2015 U.S. Department of Education study revealed that the learning gap between children of low and high income families is already apparent as early as nine months of age. Three-year-old disadvantaged kids, for example, have on average only half the vocabulary of their more advantaged peers, a gap that can be as wide as 18 months at kindergarten entry. Greg Duncan, the famous professor of education and early math expert, has explained that children’s math abilities by the end of 3rd grade are as important – and even more – than language abilities as indicator of their success in high school.
Preschool class at Educare California in San Jose (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
