Children on Dublin's northside, who were in an Early Intervention programme, have an IQ that is 8 points higher than those who didn't take part.
They got better results after being part of the Northside Partnership's Preparing for Life scheme.
The kids who took part in their first 5 years, are better at making decisions, solving problems, and thinking logically at age 9.
The programme works to improve children’s lives by supporting parents, early years practitioners and teachers.
It works with families, health services, pre-schools and schools from pregnancy through childhood.
Preparing for Life Programme Manager, Niall Sexton says these children see a dramatic improvement in their ability:
"We have been tracking these children all the way along in the programme and they are now aged 9 and we are seeing very significant improvements for those children around cognitive skills"
He went on to say that "they're better able to focus, they have better working memory, they have better concentration in school."
Since 2008, the programme has worked with 200 families in Dublin 5 and 17 supporting parents to get their children ready to start school.
