The role of early learning environments in child cognitive and socioemotional skills development: A study on educational inequalities in Ireland

This study uses high-quality longitudinal data from the Growing Up in Ireland to examine how home learning environment (HLE) and early childhood education (ECE) influence children’s early skills development across socioeconomic status (SES). Results from random-effects linear regression models indicate that: (1) higher SES is associated with higher cognitive and socioemotional outcomes before entry into compulsory school; (2) having a supportive HLE improves children’s cognitive and socioemotional skills, whereas ECE quality fosters critically their socioemotional skills; (3) responsive and consistent parenting behaviours among low-SES families are important compensatory tools to improve children’s socioemotional outcomes; (4) attending a high-quality ECE cancels children’s behavioural problems in less responsive parenting environments, but literacy stimulation at home is necessary for obtaining cognitive skills returns from high-quality ECE attendance. Overall, this study shows that examining the interplay between HLE and ECE provides key understandings of unequal skills development processes during early childhood