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 Early childhood, spanning 0 to 6 years of age, is the time when children develop the fastest. Two thirds of all intellectual development is completed between the ages of 0 to 4. Early childhood experiences are determinants of how the brain functions. Consequently, it is necessary for children to follow a nutritious diet, and grow in an interactive environment that is supportive of their development. Preschool education is the starting point of human development.
More than half of Turkey's population is below the age of 25, 1.4 babies are born annually; yet only 16 percent of the 7 million children between the ages of 0 and 6 are able to benefit from preschool education services. Considering that education deficits that occur during this time are almost impossible to remedy later on, this does not present a heartening picture for a nation making attempts to rise to the level of developed countries. |
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Effective and high quality early childhood education will make a major contribution to Turkey 's potential:
- It will ensure that in the long term, children and Turkish citizens become more productive and more creative people, and more competent problem solvers.
- Children who exhibit good language, cognitive, physical, social and emotional development will be ready for school, adapt to school better, and thus, the quality of primary education will increase.
- Children that are ready for school will have lower repetition and dropout rates, which will reduce costs.
- The number of skilled laborers will rise, and increasing productivity will result in economic benefits.
- Crime rates will decline.
- The effect of socio-economic gender based inequalities in society will be alleviated.
- Women's participation in the labor force will increase, as will their productivity.
- Child mortality rates drop when children are healthy and well fed.
- Early childhood education provides an opportunity for traditions to be passed onto new generations, and for new, desired values to take root.
- It will contribute to the resolution of problems brought on by rural to urban migration.
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