Benefits of Early Childhood Education
Early childhood education refers to the era of schooling that occurs between the ages of birth and eight years. There are many categories of early childhood services, including those sponsored by the federal, state, or private sectors. At the preschool level, curricula and approaches often differ, but there are widely agreed-upon guidelines for the modes of learning discussed in early childhood education environments.
A child's brain is like a sponge for the first five years of development. The years from birth to age five are thought to be crucial for laying the groundwork for thinking, acting, and emotional well-being. According to child development researchers, children acquire linguistic, cognitive, social, emotional, and regulatory abilities during these years that anticipate their later functioning in many domains (Trawick-Smith, 2014; Woolfolk & Perry, 2012). However, according to Brophy (2006), children who are economically vulnerable have reduced quantitative and qualitative preparation for school events.
Rebekah Elle, an early childhood educator and blogger, agrees that "children are able to learn at an accelerated pace and desire and need to learn new information" at a young age (wehavekids.com). During this moment when they are ready to learn and succeed, children can benefit immensely from the knowledge and materials that a good nursery can provide. In recent decades, the nation's interest in early childhood education has risen dramatically. "By 2005, 69 percent of all four-year-old children nationally had enrolled in a kind of early childhood program," according to the study.
State-funded pre-kindergarten, the federal Head Start initiative, government-funded special education services, and non-public nursery schools or childcare centers" (O'Brien and Dervaric). Despite the recent rise in the number of children enrolled in any kind of early childhood education program, many parents are unsure whether or not to enroll their children in a nursery or daycare program. As parents, it's our responsibility to ensure that our children should make an effort to take advantage of this excellent ability to assist our children in studying when they are more receptive. "We need to out-educate, out-innovate, and out-build for our future generations," President Barack Obama said, according to the National Archives and Records Administration. Early childhood education is beneficial because it helps young children be better prepared for school, provides better educational and developmental skills and has many long-term benefits.
The data demonstrating the value of early childhood education is compelling. Children who participate in early childhood education activities develop their cognitive skills and do well in kindergarten. They also learn important life lessons that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Preschool, above all, is a space where children can have fun in a healthy and caring atmosphere.
Early childhood education services, in practice, have a lot of data to back them up.
Preschool and daycare programs, for example, assist children in preparing for kindergarten. Early childhood education services prepare children for kindergarten by teaching them the learning skills they would need. "Most kindergartens require students to arrive learning how to print the alphabet, numbers 1-10 (some 1-20), write their first and last names, demonstrate simple social skills, and understand and obey directions" (wehavekids). Preschool also shows children how to be teachers.
It assists them in learning how to act in the formal atmosphere that schools impose. According to Linda Smith, executive director of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, "Kindergarten teachers will inform you that the children who come into school with strong social and behavior-management skills are the students who are able to learn," according to the Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (Why Preschool matters, parents).
Preschool and daycare have the ideal atmosphere for young children to cultivate positive learning patterns that will benefit them for many years. Significant developmental benchmarks are taught to children, which they can use in their academic future. They learn letter sounds, numbers and counting, colours and forms, as well as how to cut and draw. "The skills gained at this stage-knowing what sounds the letter A makes or adding 2+2-may seem easy, but they will set your child up for a lifetime of learning," says Mary Harvey of Parent's magazine (what your kids will learn in preschool, parents). Children who enrolled in structured early childhood activities at the age of three had better learning abilities and less optimal social activity than their peers who had no prior school experience when they reached prekindergarten the next year.
Early childhood education is becoming increasingly important in countries all over the world. The mission of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) is to "contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of hunger, sustainable growth, and intercultural dialogue through education." The following is what the association had to say regarding the value of early childhood education: Early childhood care and education (ECCE) is more than preparation for primary school.
It aims at the holistic development of a child's social, emotional, cognitive and physical needs in order to build a solid and broad foundation for lifelong learning and wellbeing. ECCE has the possibility to nurture caring, capable and responsible future citizens." Children who receive early childhood education have greater educational and developmental capabilities, according to research. W. Steven Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), says that "children who attend high-quality nursery start kindergarten ready to learn." Those who do not attend kindergarten have poorer pre-reading skills, vocabularies, and fundamental math skills than those who do" (Why Preschool Matters, parents). A survey by the National Institute for Early Education Studies (NIEER) compared the abilities of pre-kindergarten participants to those of children who did not attend pre-kindergarten.
The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) completed a survey in Michigan, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and West Virginia to investigate early childhood education systems. The findings were used to associate prekindergarten students with comparable children who did not participate and form of early education. The research yielded some fascinating findings. "Children in state pre-k had 31 percent higher language skills than non-participants," according to O'Brien and Dervaric. According to O'Brien and Dervaric, "pre-kindergarten participants in these states saw an 85 percent rise in print awareness." Letter identification, letter tones, and book meanings are also part of print comprehension. "Compared to non-participants, pre-k services in these five states boosted children's math gains by 44 percent" (O'Brien and Dervaric).
Preschool also teaches critical social skills to adolescents. "Social skills like learning how to listen, nice chat, bold talk, taking turns, accepting multi-cultural distinctions, apologizing, what to say please and thank you, how to speak in a group, support each other, learning kindness and empathy," says Rebekah Elle (wehavekids). When prompted, several kindergarten teachers claim these are among the most valuable qualities for young children to learn when they start school. "Preschool is a space where your child can develop a sense of self, discover, play with her friends, and create confidence," says Beth Kanter of parents (Why Preschool Matters, Parents). Preschoolers learn that they are intelligent and can do something by themselves, according to Angela Capone, senior program manager at Southwest Human Development's Arizona Institute for Childhood Development in Phoenix. tackling bigger issues like making decisions on how to spend their free time" minor things like pouring their own juice and helping arrange snack tables to tackling bigger issues like making decisions on how to spend their free time" (Why Preschool Matters, Parents). Small children can also learn through discovery, experimentation, and conversation in preschool.
Early childhood education has not only a short-term but also a long-term effect on children. "Once they are settled into the system and are happy with it, they are ready to learn and develop," says Rebekah Elle of the framework that young children learn and create in early childhood education. The preschool classroom routine lays a solid basis for their future school lives, which will be much more systematic and demanding" (wehavekids). Early childhood education participants have been seen to do better in school later in life. According to a study conducted in Michigan to document some of the long-term results of an early education (O'Brien and Dervaric), "children from the state pre-k program had higher pass rates on the fourth-grade reading and math tests compared to non-participants." Childhood growth researchers at child-early encyclopedia believe that a child's early experiences can have a huge impact on their future success. "A young child's mental, psychological, and physical growth has a strong impact on their future development and the adult who they will become" (Encyclopedia on early childhood development, childencylopedia).
When parents are deciding whether or not to send their children to childcare or daycare, there are a few factors to weigh. According to Alison Gopnik, a psychology professor, "when 4-year-olds enter preschool, they unwittingly limit their focus."Their reasoning and only take into account the knowledge given by their teacher" (Lawrence). According to Gopnik, formal education stifles a child's imagination and innovation. On the opposite, in a nursery environment, young children have plenty of time for creative play and imagination by art projects. In the decision-making process, the consistency of the early education curriculum is also essential. Although it is clear that high-quality childcare services are more expensive, all of them provide financial assistance to parents. Some provide grants and tuition support to help parents with the financial pressure.
Finally, the different qualities that our children might acquire in an early childhood education curriculum would be very beneficial to them. Early childhood education is advantageous because it aids in the preparation of young children for kindergarten and offers greater educational and developmental opportunities. It improves capabilities and has other long-term advantages. As parents, we must recognize the importance of investing in our children when they are young in order to optimize their potential well-being. Preschool is a place where children are prepared to enter the educational system. A child's education starts the moment he or she is born. A individual learns over his life, but the first six years of a child's life are marked by rapid growth. Parents and guardians play an important part in the educational life of a child under the age of three because children learn by imitation and also take on the characteristics of those who look after them. Preschools play an important part in a child's educational growth.
Sanchez, C. (2017, May 03). Pre-K: Decades worth of studies, one strong message. Retrieved
May 14, 2021, from npr.org/sections/ed/2017/05/03/524907739/pre-k-decades-worth-of-studies-one-strong-message
Trawick-Smith, J. (2014). Early childhood development (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
