The latest findings from the long-term study Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE), carried out by researchers from the Institute of Education and Birkbeck College, University of London, and the University of Oxford, show that the earlier children have access to high-quality early education the better they perform later.
Professor Kathy Sylva, who leads the research team, said it is 'fully integrated centres, those closest to children's centres' - providing care, education, health and family support - that 'really give children the best boost of all'.
Disadvantaged children also gain significant developmental benefits from attending pre-school, especially if they attend centres alongside children from different social backgrounds.
The researchers conclude that a well-trained, highly qualified workforce is vital. Children in the study who had access to a qualified teacher during their early years made the most progress.
The EPPEstudy has followed around 2,800 children at 141 settings in six local education authorities in England since 1997, and a control group of 310 children who stayed at home.
The EPPE researchers will continue to follow the children's development until they reach the end of Key Stage 2.
Findings in the study released last week include:
* When children start school the average difference in development between those who have been to pre-school and those who have not is four to six months.
* A year at pre-school has the equivalent benefit to a child's progress of an extra 10,000 to 15,000 in annual family income.
* Learning at home with parents - reading together, singing songs and visiting the library - has a positive impact on children's social and intellectual development.
* Attending pre-school reduces the risk of having special educational needs from one in three to one in five.
The study also found that it was the duration of time overall that children attend pre-school that is important, not whether they attend full or part-time.
Every month of pre-school after the age of two was found to benefit children. Professor Sylva said, 'The story is higher quality and more months, not hours in the centre per day.'
High quality pre-school education also has an impact on children's social and behavioural development when they start school. They show more co-operative behaviour, greater independence and concentration and increased peer sociability, seeking conversation and interaction with other children.
Bernadette Duffy, head of the Thomas Coram Children's Centre in London, said she was pleased that integrated centres came out so well in the report, and that they were found to support learning and development.
She also welcomed the finding that disadvantaged children in particular benefit, especially in an environment with children from different backgrounds. 'The last thing you want to do is to ghettoise children. What you're looking for is a good mix,' she said. 'It's good for all children and families to see themselves as part of a wider community.'
Children's minister Margaret Hodge said she hoped that the findings confirming the importance of quality and duration in pre-school education would be reflected in the Government's forthcoming ten-year childcare strategy.
Mrs Hodge added, 'I hope this research gives comfort to parents who are always worrying about whether they are doing the best for their children and about how to balance work responsibilities with care at home.'
For more information about EPPE see www.ioe.ac.uk/projects/eppe.