The early childhood education can contribute to more favorable school history in elementary school years. The aim of this study is to determine whether the time in kindergarten (KG) may be associated with performance indexes, interpersonal competence and stress incidence in the second grade of elementary school. The studied group consisted of 95 children in three groups: no KG, one-year long KG, and two-year long KG. Children's parents and/or guardians and teachers took part in the study as informants. According to the results, assessments of academic performance were favorable to children with KG, as were some dimensions of social skills, particularly those concerning responsibility and cooperation. The longer the exposure to KG, the more the peers choose the target child as a liked one. Possible relationships between the frequency of early childhood education and the association between performance, academic competence and school stressors in primary school are discussed.
School learning; preschool education; relationship at school
