Early Childhood Education: What Makes It So Vitally Important Today

Do you remember the first time you learned to distinguish one color from the other? Or when you tried to make sense of the different words, the adults around you were speaking? Chances are that you don't. However, you can still probably admit that it happened long before you attended your first class in kindergarten.

It is often assumed that real learning starts when a child starts going to school. However, 90% of a child's brain volume is already developed by the time they turn 5. Therefore, the education they get before they even start school can have a huge impact on how the rest of their life turns out to be. Read on to learn why early education is important, especially in today's modern age.

Importance of Early Childhood Education

Creating an educational environment for a child to thrive and grow should be a parent or guardian's top priority. However, this doesn't mean that you have to start teaching them theorems and scientific formulas as soon as possible. Instead, it is important to focus on age-appropriate learning for younger kids.

Start with teaching them how to identify different shapes and colors. Repeat words and sentences, so they get ingrained in the kids' minds. As they progress, you can teach them how to count objects, recognize people and faces, differentiate between hot and cold, and even teach them how to pray. All of this is a part of early education and behavioral growth.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) sheds light on the importance 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."

Additionally, a study by Harvard, early childhood education programs can enable kids to develop the emotional and social skills that would help them succeed in high school and the years beyond that. According to this study, kids who had enrolled in an early childhood education program also had a better chance of earning higher grades and an enthusiasm for learning.

Introducing an Early Childhood Care and Education Program at Your Daycare

If you're running or managing a daycare center, you have the perfect opportunity to introduce an early childhood care and education (ECCE) program. Not only will this be beneficial for the kids at your daycare program, but it will also make the daycare center more appealing to the parents.

However, introducing an ECCE program will certainly come with its own set of challenges. Therefore, you must be aware of what you're getting into. One of the major issues that people face while working in an ECCE program is finding a balance between managing larger groups as a whole and working with children one-on-one.

It is important to understand that each child grows differently. They come from different backgrounds, households, and environments. Therefore, you can't come up with a one-shoe-fits-all curriculum. Instead, you have to work to create a program beneficial for each child.

Dr. Jessica Alvarado, who went through her own trial and error as she built an ECCE program, explains, "Yes, we want to look at standards. Yes, there are boxes we need to check, but a huge part of what we do with young children is looking at their interests and using those interests to better engage them in learning."

There may also be some laws and regulations in your state regarding early childhood care and education programs at daycare centers. So you must always look into it before starting the program. However, if you're able to get a license and the staff, you can make the daycare center experience much more rewarding for the kids in the long run.