The home learning environment
The opportunities children have for engaging in developmentally enhancing learning activities at
home makes a real difference to their development. The home learning environment (HLE)
included activities related to improving children’s learning and development e.g. reading to child,
teaching songs and nursery rhymes, painting and drawing, playing with letters and numbers,
visiting the library, teaching alphabet, teaching numbers, visits and regular opportunities for play
with friends at home. Where more of these activities occurred in the home children had better
intellectual and social/behavioural development. The HLE can be viewed as a ‘protective’ factor.
This has important implications for programmes such as Sure Start that target areas of high
social exclusion.
Similar findings from EPPNI and EPPE
Impact of attending a pre-school centre
Pre-school experience, compared to none, enhances children’s development.
The duration of attendance is important with an earlier start from age two onwards, being related
to better intellectual development.
Full time attendance led to no better gains for children than part-time provision.
Disadvantaged children in particular can benefit significantly from good quality pre-school
experiences.
The quality of pre-school centres is related to better intellectual and social development in
children. EPPNI and EPPE findings on quality are consistent with other large-scale longitudinal
research including the NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Development) and CQO
(Childcare Quality and Outcomes) studies in the US.
Demographic influences
In both England and Northern Ireland strong effects were found for parental education and social
class upon children’s development. Children from large families (3+ siblings) showed poorer
intellectual development.
The importance of home learning
The home learning environment (activities providing opportunities for learning) was strongly
related to intellectual and social development in all children. There is a modest association
between social class and parental education and the home learning environment. However, the
home learning environment was more important than either of these factors. What parents do is
more important than who they are.
Childcare history
Both EPPNI and EPPE find that high levels of group day care in the first two years are
associated with slightly higher levels of anti-social behaviour later. Also in both countries high
levels of relative care are associated with less anti-social behaviour and more co-operative
behaviour.
Findings that are different in Northern Ireland and England
Quality of pre-school
There is less variation between types of centre in Northern Ireland than in England on the quality
assessment instrument (ECERS-R). Pre-school centres in Northern Ireland score slightly higher
overall than comparable centres in England. This is due to the playgroups and the private day
nurseries, but particularly the playgroups, scoring more highly on ECERS-R than in England. It is
clear that on every sub-scale playgroups in Northern Ireland score higher than playgroups in
England. The interviews in pre-school centres revealed that the level of staff training was
substantially greater in the Northern Ireland playgroups than those in England. This probably
reflects the extensive training activity of the Northern Ireland Pre-school Playgroup Association
(NIPPA), and suggests that quality differences in pre-school may be more related to staff training
than type of pre-school.
70