More On The Importance Of Zero To Six

Via PsychToday: Getting Ahead: Why Preschool Benefits the Brain

Although preschool does not teach market economics or neuroscience, it provides necessary skills that are essential to getting—and keeping—a job later in life. Most important, children learn how to socialize with peers, manage stress and solve problems. At age 28, the adults who received preschool educations years before had significantly higher job prestige, earnings and socioeconomic status.

In addition to boosting the life-course prospects of the children who received preschool education, the program also saves society money. It costs around $8,000 to send a child to preschool for a half day during the school year, but the estimated benefits in terms of increased productivity and reduced cost to the criminal justice system put the savings at just over $80,000, a ten-fold return on investment.

This Seems Wrong. And Delicious.

Via The Atlantic: Chocolate Baby Formula: From Cradle to Grave?

Toddler Days At Dennos

Via MyNorth: Toddler Program at Dennos Museum in Travese City

Stories, Scribbles and Wiggles Toddler Program

Thursday, October 29, 2009, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm, Woodland Indian Baskets and Myths
Thursday, November 19, 2009, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm, All that Glitters is Gold
Thursday, December 10, 2009, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm, Polar Bears and Narwhals

This is a good start. I only hope Dennos Museum expands the offerings to more days in 2010.

Swim Lessons Are Beneficial

NYT: Children: Early Swim Lessons May Reduce Drowning

A new study adds weight to the argument that giving swimming lessons to children ages 1 to 4 makes them less likely to drown.

The idea might seem obvious, but some safety experts have raised concerns that teaching young children to swim may put them at higher risk by diminishing their natural fear of water or making their caregivers overconfident.

Toddlers Are Neither Here Nor There

Via LiveScience: Why Toddlers Don't Do What They're Told

The pupil measurements showed that 3-year-olds neither plan for the future nor live completely in the present. Instead, they call up the past as they need it...

"If you just repeat something again and again that requires your young child to prepare for something in advance, that is not likely to be effective," Munakata said. "What would be more effective would be to somehow try to trigger this reactive function. So don't do something that requires them to plan ahead in their mind, but rather try to highlight the conflict that they are going to face. Perhaps you could say something like 'I know you don't want to take your coat now, but when you're standing in the yard shivering later, remember that you can get your coat from your bedroom."

Cory Doctorow Loves The PeaPod

Here's an unsolicited thumbs-up review for the PeaPod travel bed at BoingBoing: PeaPod pop-up portable kid-bed -- tensegrity for your toddler