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Preschool students who received supplemental instruction to build their social, emotional and language skills reported a higher quality of life almost two decades later than peers who did not receive the same instruction, according to an interdisciplinary team of Penn State researchers.

In a new study published in the journal American Psychologist, the researchers found that young adults who participated during preschool in the Research Based, Developmentally Informed (REDI) program—which teaches friendship, social problem-solving, language and other skills—reported experiencing fewer depressive symptoms, less loneliness, more empathy and higher levels of life satisfaction than their peers who did not participate in REDI. REDI was developed at Penn State in the early 2000s and deployed in preschool programs across three Pennsylvania counties.

"REDI improved lives in meaningful ways," said Damon Jones, research professor in the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center and co-author of the study. "For example, young adults who participated in REDI as children reported almost two more healthy days per month on average compared to peers who did not participate in REDI. That could add up to more than 20 extra healthy days every year, and that benefit may extend for years."

In the 1960s, the federal government created Head Start, a preschool program for children from low-income families. Head Start was designed to develop skills—like turn-taking and listening—that are needed to start elementary school successfully because, on average, students who begin school without these skills have lower lifetime academic achievement than their peers.

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