Wed Sep 18 04:23:50 UTC 2024: ## The Widening Gap: How Poverty Impacts Children’s Education
**Oslo, Norway (September 18, 2024):** A new study conducted by professors Eric Dearing from Boston College and Henrik Daae Zachrisson from the University of Oslo reveals the widening gap between rich and poor children’s educational opportunities, both in the United States and Norway. While the situation is dire in both countries, the study highlights the significant impact of poverty on children’s development and their access to quality early education.
The study highlights the challenges faced by children growing up in low-income families, including higher rates of homelessness and food insecurity. These children often lack access to enriching resources at home, like books, tablets, or internet, and are more vulnerable to environmental toxins.
While Norway has a more robust social safety net, resulting in rare homelessness among families with children, there are still substantial differences in school readiness skills between children from low-income families and those from more affluent backgrounds.
“Even in Norway, we find substantial gaps in all areas of what we call school readiness skills,” said Zachrisson. These skills include self-regulation, focus, organizing thoughts and feelings, early reading, and language comprehension.
However, the study also offers hope. High-quality preschool education can play a crucial role in bridging the gap. Both professors emphasize the importance of early intervention programs that promote language development and academic skills, especially for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Our early education programs…make a real difference for these kids,” said Zachrisson. Key ingredients for success include educated childcare teachers, quality interactions, and ample learning materials.
Professor Dearing also highlights the importance of conversation with adults, playful learning opportunities, and a diverse range of experiences for children.
“Diversity of experience is really critical,” he said, “and so is a warm and loving environment.”
This research underscores the critical need for continued investment in high-quality early childhood education programs to provide all children with an equal opportunity to thrive.
“Any small efforts we make will lead to small improvements,” Dearing said. “Larger efforts lead to bigger improvements.”
**About CREATE Center for Research on Equality in Education**
The CREATE Center, a new Centre of Excellence at the University of Oslo, is dedicated to studying and addressing social inequalities in education. The center is collaborating with international partners to investigate the challenges and opportunities for achieving educational equity for all children.
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