Early Education Impacts Teenage Behavior

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by ScienceDaily.

Researchers explored the long-term effects of preschool expansion in Japan in the 1960s, revealing significant reductions in risky behaviors among teenagers. By analyzing regional differences in the rollout of the program, the study identified links between early childhood education and lower rates of juvenile violent arrests and teenage pregnancy. The findings suggest that improved noncognitive skills played a key role in mitigating risky behaviors, highlighting the lasting benefits of early-education policies.

“Building upon previous research which found that daycare in Japan improves noncognitive skills of very young children around age 3, my colleagues and I wished to investigate whether these benefits persist over time and if early childhood education can genuinely change behavioral outcomes later in life,” said Professor Shintaro Yamaguchi from the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Economics. “Our latest study examines Japan’s 1960s preschool expansion and its long-term effects on adolescent risky behaviors. By leveraging regional variations, we found that increased preschool enrollment significantly reduced violent crime arrests and teenage pregnancies, highlighting the lasting impact of early childhood education, even in a society with low baseline rates of such behaviors.”

The team’s findings are particularly significant because they come from a universal program that served all children regardless of socioeconomic background.

Source: ScienceDaily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250408122118.htm