Early childhood professionals: Advocates for the future of our world

For a number of years now early childhood professionals have argued that their work is extremely important because the fundamental learning opportunities they provide children shape those lives for many years in the future. There is strong evidence to support these claims. We know, for example, that high quality learning experiences in the early years impact on long term academic achievements (Sims, 2013). These learning opportunities can be provided both in children's homes and in a range of out of home early learning environments. Rodriguez and Tamis-LeMonda (2011) showed that children who came from homes with more literacy resources available to them demonstrated better levels of literacy and vocabulary at age 5. Melhuish, Belsky, and Barnes (2010) reinforced the importance of the learning environment provided in the home. They showed that mothers with higher education levels provided a more effective home learning environment which resulted in children achieving better results in English and Mathematics in school at age 11. Neighbourhood effects are also evident: children demonstrate better academic achievement levels when they live in more advantaged neighbourhoods: these neighbourhoods provide resources to support parents in creating a rich home learning environment.