Early Childhood Education: Its Basic Concept and Foundation

Ask yourself: Who Am I in the Lives of Children?

What does the term early childhood mean?

Piagetian Concept
spanning infancy through the end of second grade.

School organizational point of view

involves those years prior to kindergarten, whereas for others it includes the years prior to first grade. includes all programs for children beyond the infant-toddler stage through the primary grades, or from age three to eight. General Concept early childhood refers to the period that spans the ages from birth to age eight.

The Origins of Early Childhood Education

Plato (428-348 BC) and Aristotle (384-322 BC)
Both Plato and Aristotle recognized the importance of beginning education with young children, both saw human beings as essentially good, both emphasized the development of mind and body and both sought to create a society in which good people followed good laws.

Martin Luther (1483-1546)

He believed that schools should develop the intellectual, religious, physical, emotional and social qualities of children.

John Amos Comenius (1592-1670)

He stressed the importance of educating the young while they are tender and can easily be bent and formed. He also advocated learning by doing and may have been the first to advocate learning through play. He saw education as beginning at birth in the school school of the mothers knee and extending throughout a lifetime of learning.

Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

Rousseaus ideas about proper child rearing and education were a reaction to a corrupt government. He did not believe that people were born with original sin, but rather that their inherent good was spoiled by civilization. In the novel Emile, he presents his view that innate goodness will flower when people are raised out of contact with corrupt society and are free to learn, not from books, but from direct contact with nature.

Johann Pestalozzi (1746-1827)

He believed that education should be based on the natural development of children and that every child was capable of learning. He rejected the practice of memorization and advocated sensory exploration and observation as the basis of learning.

Robert Owen (1771-1888)

He did not believe in pressuring children to learn or in punishing them, rather, he showed children the negative consequences of their actions. Sensory learning, stories, audiovisual aids, and visitors from the community were included in the school program in an attempt to make school relevant and interesting.

Friedrich Wilhelm Froebel (1783-1852)

He was concerned with the education of children three through six and also with the mothers relationship to the infant and to the very young child. He believed that children were social beings that activity was the basis for knowing, and that play was an essential part of the educational process. He wanted children, assisted by their teachers, to have the opportunity to develop the positive impulses that came from within. Gifts- consisted of such objects as yarn, balls, blocks, wooden tablets, natural objects and geometric shapes that encouraged discovery and manipulation. Occupations- included activities like molding, cutting, folding, bead stringing and embroidery all of which were intended to foster inventiveness and skill development.

Maria Montessori (1870-1952)

She believed that children learned best through their own direct sensory experiences of the world. She believed that children had an inherent desire to explore and understand the world in which they lived. She was concerned with preserving the dignity of the child, and she valued the development of independence and productivity. The basis for learning in a Montessori classroom is firsthand experience, and children learn by observing and by doing. Practical life experiences such as buttoning, sipping, cutting, polishing and gardening enable children to care for themselves and the environment and help them to develop skills for later learning.

John Dewey (1859-1952)

He believed in respect for the child, in a unified curriculum, in self-directed activity, and in learning through experience and experimentation. He also felt strongly that education needed to be integrated with the childs life and should not be solely preparation for future life.

Margaret McMillan (1860-1931)

Margaret McMillan with her sister Rachel established the first nursery school in England in 1911. The school was created in response to the McMillans concern with the health problems they witnessed in school-age children in poor communities. The nursery school was designed to contribute to the physical and mental development of children with a special emphasis on ameliorating health problems of the very young before they began formal schooling.

The Kindergarten in America Mrs. Carl Schurz (1832-1876)

is credited with establishing the first kindergarten in America. Mrs. Schurz, a German immigrant wishing to preserve her childrens German heritage, decided she could best do this by opening a kindergarten for her children and the children of her German neighbors.

Elizabeth Peabody
an idealistic, religious woman was impressed by the precocity of Mrs. Schurz daughter. She decided that every child in America should have the benefits of the kindergarten because it had the ideals of a good, religious life and was a way to reach the immigrants. With missionary zeal, she , nightgown under her dress and toothbrush in her pocket, was prepared to go anywhere to establish the kindergarten.

The Nursery School

The concept of the nursery school is credited to the McMillan sisters of London, who opened their school in the Deptford slums in 1910. The McMillan sisters carefully selected the name of their school to communicate this new idea. They chose the word nursery to represent the love, nurture and physical care children would receive in their school, and the word school to acknowledge that it was a place where children would learn as well as experience love.

Child Care
Child care, like kindergarten and nursery school, experienced a long infancy. The major difference between child care and the nursery schools and the kindergartens was its purpose and hours. Even though adopting the program of the kindergarten or nursery school, the child care centers served children during the entire working day. They often opened by 6am and remained open until 7pm. Some also provided care for children on the weekends or throughout the night to accommodate children whose parents worked different shifts, most were open the entire year. A child care center reported in Philadelphia in 1863, for instance, was opened in response to needs created by the Civil War to provide care for children of widows or to permit those whose husbands were at war to support themselves and their children. During and after the Civil War the federal government even supplied funds for child care for children of soldiers widows. During the late 1800s and early 1900s child care centers were opened in factories ad slums to provide care for children whose parents were employed outside the home. By the early 1900s early childhood education was a part of American life.

Early Childhood Education Today

Early childhood education is now a bona fide profession. It is fully developed, recognized by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education as a separate field and distinguished from elementary education or any other type of education. Early childhood education is defined as services for children from birth through age eight in part-day and full-day group programs in centers, homes and instructions, kindergartens and primary schools and recreational programs. Today parents recognize that early education benefits children and families. They seek early educational experiences for their children because they know their children will have the opportunity to: - Increase their intelligence and problem-solving abilities - Strengthen their emotional control - Grow in physical health - Develop self-discipline and control - Foster self-confidence, self-understanding and esteem - Promote social skills, developing their ability to relate with other children and adults - Express themselves in art, music, literature and dance

Administrative Units
Primary Grades. Grades one, two and three are for children between
ages six and eight and are usually a part of the public school system or a private school. The major goals is to teach children academic skills and provide for social, emotional and physical well-being. Children receive instruction in the arts, sciences, health, physical education, reading and math. Kindergarten. Kindergartens are usually sponsored by a school system, and are designed for five-year-olds. However, in some public school systems three-and four-year-olds are now attending prekindergarten programs. The kindergarten program may be a half or a full day. The goal is usually not to provide total care for the child or comprehensive services but to offer children opportunities for academic, intellectual, social, emotional and physical growth through a well-rounded program of activities.

Nursery Schools. Nursery schools are usually for children between

ages two and five. They may be half day, full day, or two or three days a week. Some are sponsored by church groups, others by parents or civic organizations. The parent cooperative nursery school, uniquely American in origin, is popular. Parents work part time in the cooperative school or contribute in some way to defray the cost.

Head Start. Head Start is a comprehensive program for children

between ages two and five sponsored by the federal government for children under a certain income level. The program focuses on increasing childrens mental, social and emotional development and on readiness for school.

Day Care. Day Care is designed for children whose parents are
working., full or part time. The focus is on care for the child and provision for educational, social, emotional and physical growth.

Family Day Care- is one form of care. Care is provided in a

home by a parent or other adult. This program, often more informal because it is in a home and has a small number of children, may be well suited for children who find a large group situation difficult or for those with special needs.