Date

5-2024

Document Type

Capstone Project (Open Access)

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Department

Liberal Studies

Major

Liberal Studies

First Advisor

Paoze Thao

Abstract

It has been proven that the first five years of a child’s life are a critical development period, but there are currently no federal mandates requiring families to enroll their children in an Early Childhood Education program before entering kindergarten. There are many benefits for children attending a head start, preschool, or transitional kindergarten program, such as developing social skills and emotional competence, closing academic achievement gaps, and ensuring children are exposed to proper environmental enrichment that supports a range of early skills such as social, cognitive, and executive function skills. But how does early childhood education impact later adult life? This senior capstone research project will examine the benefits of early childhood education on later adult life and will seek the answer to the question, “How does early childhood education impact later adult life?” through the use of literature review and online surveys with adults, the results indicated that an early childhood education program is beneficial to adults in their later life by preparing them better for K-12, increasing their potential future income, closing gaps between socioeconomic classes, and providing a place for them to develop social and critical thinking skills, which will be useful for them throughout their entire lives.

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