Early Childhood Education Is The Most Rapid Period Of Development

Early Childhood Education illustrates the teaching and care of children in other environments outside of the home. Early childhood centers on the development of all children no matter their gender, race, abilities, or ethnic orientation and gives knowledge of early childhood learning process, which entails values, culture, desires of parents for their children, and especially a child’s need for knowledgeable functionality in society.

My philosophy of Early childhood education is based on research that indicates that a child’s growth is developmental. Every child is unique in terms of life experiences, developmental readiness, and cultural heritage. A high quality early childhood program that provides a safe and nurturing environment, which promotes physical, social, emotional, language and cognitive development will ensure a positive continuation of the child’s education process

“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.

The environment and object in the environment play a large role in cognitive development around seven months old. What an infant learns to do naturally is just as important such as like learning to roll over or eat solid foods. Later in toddlerhood children learn symbols and language in pre-operational cognitive development stage which shows intelligence abilities.

A child develops differently at different stages of their life. The prenatal period is when a human embryo or fetus gestates during pregnancy. Infancy and toddlerhood is a young child usually between the ages of one and two and a half. Early childhood is a period of time from birth to eight years old, a time of remarkable brain growth. Middle childhood is age’s six to twelve, develop skills for building healthy social relationships. Adolescence period following the onset of puberty during which a young person develops from a child into an adult. Lastly, emerging adulthood is an age of identity exploration.

Toddlers develop a sense of autonomy by letting them explore new skills. Preschoolers develop a sense of initiative as by beginning to plan and initiate activities with others. School aged children develop a sense of industry by feeling confident in their ability to achieve goals. Evidence shows that experiences in the 1st years of life are extremely important for a child’s healthy development and lifelong learning. How a child development during this time affects future cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development, which influences school readiness and later success in life (“Early and Middle Childhood” n.d.)2)

When thinking about school, most people think of elementary through high school then on to college. What happens before elementary school? Is there any learning and cognitive development happening? Children begin learning at a very young age, whether we teach them, they reflect our actions, or simply they begin to learn on their own. What we teach kids is vital to how well they learn in the future. Observing over the past couple of days, I’ve learned that children from 0-5 show just as much learning capability as a child in high school. Learning is more critical for 0-5 year olds because this foundation shapes the child’s happiness, growth as a person, and how they act in their family or community.

There are many other theories related to early childhood development that are just as important in other areas of life span development. Because prenatal, infancy and early childhood represent the beginning of development it is understandable why it is important that emphasis be place on these developmental stages of life. Without a strong foundation on which to build on there can be no secure structure.

After reading chapter 6 of the textbook, I have realized that children early years are severely important because they provide the foundation for the rest of their life, as adolescent, and as adult. Children that are well nurtured can live well and be sociable. Early childhood is the most rapid period of development in a human life. A child creates their own sense of identity. Indeed, it is important for a child to have a sense of identity. Although individual children develop at their pace, all children progress through an identifiable sequence of physical, cognitive, and emotional growth and change. The early child development approach is based on that children respond best when caregivers use specific techniques designed to encourage and stimulate progress to the next level of development. Early childhood is the time during which essential, intellectual, and emotional abilities form. Keeping young children safe and nurturing them is protective against lifelong problems. Including the risk of becoming involved in violence. Early experiences affect the brain development, shaping the brains physical growth and sculpting neural connections. This occurs primarily between birth and school age years. Besides, the family, community and society are powerful in shaping young children’s development. They grow at a very rapid rate during the first one and a half years of life. Their development is not only physical, it is also mental, emotionally, and social. These developments are

Because the brain is making so many connections pre-birth to age 3, the first three years of life are the most critical for brain development. After age 3, the "window of opportunity" closes. You're sitting here learning something right now aren't you?!! Although brain connector density is at its highest level in the first three years of life, that doesn't mean that the brain has its greatest brain power at that time. A great deal of learning goes on after the first three years of life. However, the first three years are important for laying the groundwork for healthy psychological development.

The brain is made up of many regions that have different functions to help us through life. These functions are; coordination, judgement, movement, memory, sensation, and vision. Our brain is the communication system of our body. The brain is made up of nerve cells that passes information from one part of the brain to the other, controlling everything we feel, think, and do. This processes

The brain is a most difficult organ that we possess within our body. It is used as the main part of our intelligence and functions at a very high level. It houses our intelligence, how we think move and feel at any given time. It is also the main

Some fact (Yarrow, 1961, as cited in Early Experience, 1967) states that also the first few years of life have crucial effects upon later development and adult characteristics and that the significance of early infantile experience for later life development has been repeated so frequently and so seriously that the general effectiveness of this declaration is now almost unchallenged. Bowlby, 1951, (as cited in Early Experience, 1967) quotes that “the prolonged deprivation of the young child of maternal care may have grave and far-reaching effects in his character and so on the whole of his future life.” In comparison to this J.B. Watson (1928) also felt passionately about the first two years of a Childs life. He believed they were the most important and that

Early childhood education or ECE is a branch of education which is related to the teaching of young children both in a formal and informal settings until he/she reaches 8 years of age. It is essential to children because it is where they are being modelled and disciplined. The basic things thought to a child at a young age will become

Early childhood education is a time where young children develop important learning skills. Young children, aged birth through approximately 8 years (young children, 2004) interact with one another to develop social and even motor skills that they will carry with them later in life. Development in young children involves the early years in a child's physical, social-emotional, language, and cognitive development (Baur, 1998).