Why it’s so important to talk to your baby
We review the recent research on early language and the home learning environment
A focus on early language and the importance of the home learning environment has had a resurgence of support in 2017. In England, the Department for Education has just announced the establishment of a network of English hubs with a specific focus on early language and literacy. They’ve also allocated funding to trial interventions supporting the home learning environment.
This is largely due to the release of several high profile reports. The reports emphasise the impact of early language development not only on a child’s future school achievement, but on their later employment prospects and their long-term mental health and well-being. Looking at the research, we can see the steep cost of early language difficulties at a societal level. However, the reports also identify solutions which highlight the need for us to find ways to improve the home learning environment, especially for disadvantaged families.
We started the year with Talking about a Generation, a report from the Communication Trust, which highlighted the importance of early language delay for future academic outcomes. The report finds that vocabulary at age two strongly predicts school readiness at age four. Language skills at five predict maths and English scores at seven. The most important factor influencing literacy levels at age 11 was early language. And beyond school, those children with poor vocabulary skills in the early years are less likely to be employed at age 34.
According to the report, there is a high prevalence of speech, language and communication needs, particularly for those in disadvantaged areas. Nearly 8% of children in the early primary years across the UK have developmental language disorders (although many are unidentified) and as many as 50% of children starting school in the most disadvantaged areas will have speech, language and communication needs. In fact, the report finds that 75% of children who experience persistent poverty through the early years are below average in language, compared to 35% of those who never experience poverty.
In September, a report from the Early Intervention Fund and Newcastle University, Language as a child well-being indicator, connected early language with later mental health and well-being both for children and adults. The report found a very high prevalence of speech language and communication needs among children experiencing social, emotional and behavioural problems. This is clearly demonstrated by the finding that 60% of young people in youth offender institutes have communication needs. According to the report, half of the UK prison population have literacy difficulties compared to one-seventh (17%) of the general population.
These are stark statistics. However, the Study of Early Education and Development (SEED) report in July gave us a bit of hope. The report highlighted the positive impact of early education and the home learning environment on child outcomes. The report found increased verbal ability for children aged three who attended formal (day care) or informal (staying with relative) early childcare. It also confirmed earlier findings that a better home learning environment is associated with higher cognitive outcomes. Importantly, the report noted that the positive effects of the HLE and time in early childcare are independent of each other, meaning that a young child in a supportive home learning environment will still benefit from time in early childcare, and vice-versa.
Another report released in September from the Sutton Trust, Closing Gaps Early, points out the role of early childcare and parenting on children’s outcomes, particularly social mobility. The report focused on the importance of high quality childcare, stating that poor quality provision can actually have a negative impact on child development. It also cited two distinct aspects of parenting that impact children’s development — how sensitive and responsive parents are to their children’s needs, and the home learning environment they provide.
Finally, the Education Endowment Foundation reviewed interventions that show promise for improving children’s early language and communication. And while not all interventions look the same, the message was consistent: improving the home learning environment and supporting early years childcare providers can have a hugely positive impact on children’s short and long-term outcomes.
In fact, the repeated theme running through all the reports was that early language is very important for a myriad of reasons, and two of the biggest factors impacting it are the home learning environment and quality of early childcare. These findings underpin our work at the National Literacy Trust. We focus on delivering two early years programmes for parents and their young children.
These reports also clearly underpin the government’s focus on supporting early language. As part of that commitment, they’re including early language development as a priority in the next round of Strategic School Improvement Funding (SSIF). If you are developing a Strategic School Improvement Fund (SSIF) and would like to learn about how our early years programmes can support you, please contact us at ewt@literacytrust.org.uk.
