What is Early Childhood Education?

Importance Early childhood education is a term that refers to the period of time from a child’s birth to when they enter kindergarten, according to Dr. Jessica Alvarado, academic program director for the BA in Early Childhood Development at the National University. According to Alvarado, it is an important time in children’s lives because it is when they first learn how to interact with others, including peers, teachers, and parents, and also begin to develop interests that will stay with them throughout their lives.

Early childhood education is a broad term used to describe any type of educational program that serves children in their preschool years before they are old enough to enter kindergarten. Early childhood education may consist of any number of activities and experiences designed to aid in the cognitive and social development of preschoolers before they enter elementary school.

Preschool programs provide early childhood education and care for children from various cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds in the years prior to their entry into Grade 1. Settings typically include schools, nursery schools, childcare centers, and private homes. Since the middle of the 20^th century, preschool programs have been increasingly widespread given the recognition of the importance of learning during early childhood when brain development is very rapid.

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One of the important functions of preschool programs is to help children acquire learning-related skills, such as the ability to express thoughts, adapt behaviors to situational demands, control impulsivity, show curiosity, remain concentrated, and be socially competent.

As such, school readiness is not only about teaching children basic language and mathematics skills but is also about promoting self-regulation. Although beneficial for all children, these early childhood learning opportunities are especially important for children in disadvantaged groups as they play a critical role in reducing the impact of negative early experiences and in redirecting their development into a more productive trajectory.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to deciding how many days your child should attend preschool. Whether your child attends three, four, or five mornings per week is ultimately a personal decision based on the child’s particular needs and family.  That being said, there is one critical factor parents should not overlook in this important decision: consistency.

When a child attends preschool on a consistent basis, typically four consecutive days and often full-time five days per week enrollment, experience has shown that regularity of attendance with the same group of students and teachers encourages the child’s sense of security and self-confidence. The importance of routines and consistency for children cannot be overemphasized.

Why is early childhood education important?

A child’s early years are the foundation for his or her future development, providing a strong base for lifelong learning and learning abilities, including cognitive and social development.

Early childhood is a crucial stage of life in terms of a child’s physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development. Growth of mental and physical abilities progresses at an astounding rate and a very high proportion of learning occurs from birth to age six. It is a time when children particularly need high-quality personal care and learning experiences.