Preschools provide lasting academic benefits

(NECN/ABC) - Preschool teaches small children how to get along with their peers and readies them for kindergarten, but a new study suggests preschool also lays the groundwork for long-lasting academic achievement. British researchers have found that children who attend preschool outscore their classmates on math tests at age 10. Studies show that kids who attend preschools have a leg up on their peers at the START of elementary level education, but new research finds this early educational experience may provide LASTING academic benefit. British researchers have been tracking nearly 3000 children since the age of 3. The kids are now 10 years old and participating in national standardized testing. Researchers analyzed the children's results for math and found that those who had attended preschool tended to outscore those who did NOT have any preschool experience. What's more, the benefits of preschool seem to apply to ALL children - rich and poor, boys and girls - so the authors say that UNIVERSAL preschool should be considered. But the quality of the preschool does matter - children who attended HIGH QUALITY preschools with warm, educated teachers made more progress than those at low quality preschools. Researchers say the KEY factor to look for in a preschool is a high level of TRAINING for both the director and the teachers. ABC's Dr. Timothy Johnson reports.