STEAM Academy: Investing in our Children’s Future
Children are our future, it’s a phrase that as parents we hear frequently. We may mean future of our economy, our business, or government, any number of large scale generalities. As Early Childhood educators, our job is to prepare children for the future. From birth to age 5 we want to provide the structure that will not only carry them through the next few years of early elementary but perhaps throughout their entire life as well.
A new study by Nobel laureate James Heckman, professor of economics at the University of Chicago and the director of the Center for the Economics of Human Development shows that early childhood education is not only beneficial for those first few years, but perhaps benefits children throughout an entire lifetime.
The Life-Cycle Benefits of an Influential Early Childhood Program found a quality early education can have lasting positive effects in areas such as future earnings, health, IQ and crime reduction all the way up through age 35. James Heckman relays “They had more education, therefore they had more information. In a number of ways these children became more engaged, control their own lives better, and that shows up in their adult health.”
So what is most important in a high quality Early Childhood Education program that will allow these benefits to be so meaningful throughout these children’s lives? Engagement. James Heckman states “The center core is engagement. That’s what good teaching’s about too when you think about it…It’s not a teacher lecturing to a student, it’s basically the teachers or child care workers engaging students or engaging these young children and making age-adapted, person-adjusted interventions. That’s the key.”
At STEAM Academy our entire curriculum is built upon child engagement. Hands on activities incorporating Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics, a quality preschool core curriculum, and exceptional teachers interact with each child.
STEAM Academy is committed to providing an engaging and quality education that will last not just through the preschool and early elementary years, but for the rest of our children’s lives.
Contact us today to set up your free tour and see how we give your child a better start!
