Early Childhood Education In The United States

The search terms that I used to locate this research study to analyze were “early childhood education benefits”. The database that I used to find this research study was the University of North Florida’s online library database. The reason why I selected this particular study to analyze was that the study was about examining whether or not early childhood education has any positive effects on academic achievement later on. I would like to know if preschool care helps students to have higher academic achievement later on in life.

Education has been an important part of my life since a very young age. Growing up I have always strived to do my best in school. In my sophomore year of high school I realized how important education was to me and decided that I wanted to be a teacher. From Elementary School to College I have always been close with my teachers and professors. I still visit and talk too many of them today, this made me realize that I wanted to be that teacher for my future students.

Chapter two discusses various theorists that helped to mold and shape early childhood education to where it is today. There are several different theorists that contributed to the development of early childhood education. Some of these theorists include Alfred Adler, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and John Dewey. Each theorist developed a unique theory that has caused early childhood guidance and education to flourish like it has today. Without learning and building on these theories, early childhood guidance and education would never develop or change. The chapter explains how some theories may seem strange to the contemporary families, but these theories are the foundation of how early childhood education got to where it is today. The book goes

Early childhood is a time of curiosity, a time for play, and a time of rapid development. Every child is unique and deserving of an early childhood education that facilitates academic, social, and developmental growth through a variety of enjoyable experiences. Differentiated instruction adapts content, products and processes to meet the diverse learning needs and preferences of students (Thousand, Villa, & Nevin, 2007). Friedrich Froebel, the creator of Kindergarten, believed that children grow and learn as they play (Bruno, 2009). Play-based instruction not only enables young learners to have fun, but it also encourages interactive and cooperative learning, passion for discovery, and a foundation for later learning experiences

In my first semester of college at Concordia, I had the opportunity to have the class EDU 120. A requirement for this class was having 10 hours of fieldwork; at least 3 hours in each level of childhood. The reason for this requirement is to help the students discover what grade level they want to teach in the future.

Health promotion is very important to early childhood education to improve the well-being of children and parents’ health and behaviours. “It is important for early childhood educators to recognized their essential role as health promotors” (Pimento & Kernested 2015, P. 4). There are 12 social determinants in daily life for childhood programs, however I have identified that social support networks are most important determinants of health. Likewise, educators and families are both mutually directly and indirectly supporting children to improve their healthy development and education (Pimento & Kernested, 2015, P.34). In early childhood, educators have very important role in daycare which is communication. That means, that we need to communicate with family (parent, grandparent), children and coworkers to share the daily basic tasks and any other ideas or information for improving environments and supports. It is especially important that we support mothers who have very limited knowledge about their first-born baby, such as lack of information about breastfeeding, sleeping routine, formula ratios, nutrition, healthy eating habits, or any parental skills. Not only that, we can also help parents to get benefits and support from the government such as financial support, subsidized daycare, and community information resources on healthy nutrition food.

“Early roots of play as a best practice for early learning was documented by Plato, a Greek philosopher, who insisted that play is considered a natural activity of childhood.”(Ingrid Crowther, 2011, Pg. 2) Early Childhood Education is a term that refers to educational programs that are devoted to children from birth to the age of eight. “Children of this age learn by exploring and investigating; therefore, their environment should support and encourage this process.”(Rebecca Isbell and Betty Exelby, 2001, Pg. 11) Early childhood environments should be attractive and exciting. These environments should allow children to work and play using proper resources, materials, and tools.

I am a student at Florida Atlantic University studying early childhood education. I am enrolled in EEC 3214 class this semester; the class is called designing and implementing a blending curriculum: birth to age eight. I am required to complete a field experience assignment at a preschool. I will observe young children ranging from three to five years old. I assure you that I will keep all information confidential. In addition, I reassure you that I will not share the information collected outside of my course and that no identifying information will be shared. I will respect and follow all the school’s policies and procedures in a professional manner.

This research report presents an analysis of and conclusions drawn from the experiences and perspectives of two educators that work in the early childhood setting. The main objective is to identify key elements and issues in relation to the families, diversity and difference. In particular how an early childhood educator implements, different approaches to honour culture and diversity, and to advocate for social justice in an early childhood settings. As such, it allows an insight into the important role that families and their background plays in the everyday lives of the children and educators within early childhood settings. In today’s ever-changing growing society it is essential for educators to be flexible to the

Early childhood education has many benefits and there is the potential for many significant outcomes if universal preschools were put into place. Some feel that children who start kindergarten without previously attended preschool sometimes lack certain skills such as social and communication skills and an inability to follow routines. There were also studies done that found attending preschool could help to close the achievement gap in the grade school years. A child’s first few years of life are most important, and they absorb the most during those years. By providing universal preschool, all children would be benefiting, especially those who are in at-risk families or part of the lower class. As a society, we have a responsibility to help the children in our communities and provide them with the education they need in order to help them succeed in life.

Education is an important factor when it comes to the development of the human brain. It is known in America that children around the ages of 3 to 5 can have the opportunity to enrol in Preschool. Preschool is a program for younger kids who want to get a head start in education in order to have a better transition into elementary school. There has been some controversy on how old the child must be in order to be placed into preschool and whether the program is even beneficial. Many other countries such as Finland are also providing Preschool programs to children, but their program is a lot different compared to America’s.

I chose to go to Orchard Hill elementary school in South Windsor, Connecticut. A few of my cousins attended this school so it was an easy choice for me. I decided to observe Mrs. Zerella, who is a kindergarten teacher. I fell in love with kindergarten when I did my first observation two years ago and I knew for this assignment I wanted to go back to a kindergarten classroom. They are so eager to learn and we all know they are pretty cute. When I walked in I first saw a big circle rug in the middle of the room. It looked like an inviting place for children to gather. There was a great deal of colors and posters around the room it was almost overwhelming. Right away, I noticed an enormous smart board and three desktop computers. When I

“Diverging incomes among families lead to diverging destinies among children, undermining the promise of equal opportunity.” – Nancy Folbre. Early Childhood Education has many current issues and trends but one that I found interesting is the issues of poverty/ low income families with children attending school. These families struggle with providing their children the best education that they need and deserve. Parents need to be able to have access to quality programs for their children to attend. Low income parents might seem that they don’t want to be involved but it’s the complete opposite of that. These parents need access and an equal opportunity in order to provide the best for their children.

Early childhood programs are being established all over the United States. To be a qualified program the early childhood programs much exhibit several components. These components include principles of child development; a balanced curriculum; relationship between parents, teachers, children, and the community; assessment and accountability; and consideration for diversity in children, families, and communities.

The effects of early childhood educational programs, both short and long-term, for all children are remarkable. Some assume that children with disabilities cannot get the full experience and that they cannot take advantage of those experiences that they would encounter in a preschool type program. On the other hand, a study done by Lamorey and Bricker found that “children with disabilities enrolled in integrated early childhood programs demonstrated higher lever of social play and more appropriate social interactions, and were more likely to initiate interactions with peers” (Diamond, 1994, par. 2). Gains in socialization and interaction with peers are just the beginning of the effects that these ‘early intervention’ type programs have on children (Smith, 1988, par. 1).