Kindergarten predicts success in later life, study suggests
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By Janet Steffenhagen
24 Aug 2010

Parents who will be sending their five-year-olds to full-day kindergarten next month for the first time might be interested in a Harvard University study that suggests success in kindergarten matters -- a lot.

Students who make better-than-average progress in kindergarten can expect to make about $1,000 a year more at age 27 than students with average scores, says a news release about the study.

Research Shows a Good Kindergarten Education Makes Dollars and Sense

Those who are in small classes and have experienced teachers will do even better, according to the study led by Harvard University's John Friedman. The children who learn in kindergarten are more likely to own a home by age 28 and are less likely to become single parents. They are also more likely to save for retirement earlier in their working lives.

There are dozens of stories available about this study, but here are two Canadian reports: the Toronto Star's Kindergarten Skills Pay Off in Big Bucks

and

the Toronto Sun's Top Kindergarten Teachers are Worth $320,000/yr.