CHECKERED FLAGS
“It is easy to think of reasons why having difficulties with peers could lead children to do worse in school and to later drop out. Because students often study with their friends, help each other with homework, and even informally tutor one another, a student who lacks friends is likely to miss out on opportunities to learn school material. Furthermore, a child who is having problems getting along with others may be more upset and distracted and therefore, find it harder to concentrate. Even if a child’s academic work is respectable, a child with serious peer relationship problems might drop out because school is not an enjoyable place. Indeed, being at school may be quite stressful.” (Reprinted with permission from the National Network for Child Care – NNCC. Asher, S.R. & Williams, G. (1993). Children without friends, Part 1: Their problems. In Todd, C.M. (ED.), *Day care center connections*, 2(6), pp. 3-4. Urbana-Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service.)
“The academic benefits of having friends show up very early in a child’s school career. Consider, for example, research by Ladd (1990) on children who are making the transition from preschool programs to kindergarten. This research suggests that those who start kindergarten with a friend in their class make a better adjustment to school than those who do not start with a friend. Furthermore, children who maintain their friendships as the school year progresses like school better, and children who make new friends make greater gains in school performance.” (Reprinted with permission from the National Network for Child Care – NNCC. Asher, S.R. & Williams, G. (1993). Children without friends, Part 1: Their problems. In Todd, C.M. (ED.), *Day care center connections*, 2(6), pp. 3-4. Urbana-Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service.)