Early years education boosts child development, say parents

Boosted child development tops the list of gains from formal early years education, according to a survey of over 2,000 parents. These improvements – including in the areas of communication, social skills, confidence, independence and creativity – came second to benefits felt directly by parents, such as being able to work. Some 56% of parents surveyed for the research, commissioned by the Department for Education’s Childcare Choices campaign, say communication and social skills were the most noticeable skills gained by their child attending a setting and 42% cited being able to work. Read more.