MATHILDA SUMBAYAK 1788203016 (Early Education)

What is The Purpose of Early Education Program?

There have been many names used to describe early childhood education programs designed for children before they enter school. Although no program is purely one thing or another, each type of program has historically emphasized a particular purpose and that purpose can influence decisions made by the teachers in the program.

The First is Day Care Centers. Day care centers have traditionally served the purpose of custodial care and have used by dual-working parents and single parents. These types of early childhood programs are certainly concerned with children’s development and learning but their primary purpose has been to provide a place for young children to be when their parents are unable to care for them in the home. In order to provide this service for parents, day care centers are usually the type of program that operates for the most hours.

The Second is Nursery Schools. Traditionally nursery schools have focused on the socio-emotional development of young children. Parents choose to send their children to this type of program so that their children would have the experience of playing and interacting with other children. These interactions might then lead to the children understanding the importance of sharing and cooperating. Nursery schools were very often part-time programs with children attending for a few hours a day.

The Third is Preschools. Some early childhood education programs focus on preparing children for the next level of schooling (Robert Shelley,2017), for example kindergarten and the early elementary grades. Programs with this emphasis might organize their curricula around pre-academic areas such as early literacy and number readiness.

The Fourth  is Compensatory Education Programs. The federally supported early childhood program, Head Start, is perhaps the most well known of this type of program. These programs are designed for young children who are at-risk for developmental issues and/or potential difficulties with school success. These issues can include the effects of poverty, speech and language delays, learning disabilities, and general developmental delays. The curricula and teaching approaches of compensatory education programs are targeted at the identified problems children may be experiencing.

And The Last is Parents should also consider the primary purpose of a program when they are making decisions about where to send their children.Early childhood educators have to be aware of children’s and families’ living environment and take this into account in their educational work. Interaction and cooperation skills are needed in cooperation with children, families, and partners. A good relationship parents and educators is an essential part of children’s well-being and these social skills are inseparable part of educators’ work. (Karila & Nummenmaa, 2001; National Curriculum Guidelines…, 2003)

In Conclusion is It’s also often referred to as preschool, pre-kindergarten, day care, nursery school or early education. No matter the name, each serves the same purpose: to prepare young children for their transition into elementary school. Education is not just for today and tomorrow. It’s like a life course. Early Childhood Programs help children learn how to learn, how to develop solutions to problems. It teaches steps and processes while increasing confidence.As parents and educators, we need to learn how to enhance children’s learning of life skills from resilience to social interactions to having fun with life! It’s a big job, but worthy endeavor.

References

Mwaura, P.; Mohamed, B.T. 2008. “Madrasa early childhood development program: Making a difference”, in M. Garcia, A. Pence and J. Evans (eds). Africa’s future, Africa’s challenge: Early childhood care and development in sub-Saharan Africa (Washington, DC, World Bank).

Penn, H. 2008. Early childhood education and care in Southern Africa. CfBT Education Trust (Reading, United Kingdom). Available at: www.cfbt.com/evidenceforeducation/pdf/ ECEC_V7_WEB.pdf [19 Sep. 2011].

Sofou, E.; Tsafos, V. 2009. “Preschool teachers’ understanding of the national preschool

curriculum in Greece”, Early Childhood Education Journal (2010) Vol. 37, pp. 411–420.

Vennam, U. et al. 2009. Early childhood education trajectories and transitions: A study of the experiences and perspectives of parents and children in Andhra Pradesh, India, Working Paper No. 52, July 2009 (Delhi, Young Lives). Available at: http://oro.open.ac.uk/19306/1/YL_WP52_Woodhead_et_al.pdf [19 Sep. 2011].

Barnett, W.S. 2004. Preschool education and its lasting effects: Research and policy implications.Education and the Public Interest Center and Education Policy Research Unit (Boulder,Colorado and Tempe, Arizona, United States). Available at:http://nepc.colorado.edu/files/PB-Barnett-EARLY-ED_FINAL.pdf [28 Aug. 2011].

Awopegba, P. 2010. Country-case studies on early childhood care and education (ECCE) in

selected sub-Saharan African countries 2007/2008: Some key teacher issues and policy

recommendations. (Addis Ababa, UNESCO–IICBA). Available at: http://en.unescoiiba.

org/sites/default/files/ECCE per cent20last.pdf [19 Sep. 2011].

Myers, R.G. 2006. Quality in programmes of early childhood care and education (ECCE).

Background paper for EFA Global Monitoring Report 2007 (Paris). Available at:

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001474/147473e.pdf [19 Sep. 2011].

Urban, M. 2009. Early childhood education in Europe: Achievements, challenges and possibilities (Brussels, Education International). Available at: http://download.eiie.org/Docs/WebDepot/2009_EarlyChildhoodEducationInEurope_en.pdf [19 Sep. 2011].