Tuesday, April 28, 2009
A Bit of History...
I was thinking that with the upcoming Provider Appreciation Day, that maybe we should mention a little bit about the history of early childhood education...
Early childhood education has been gaining ground since the 1800's. As researchers publish more and more findings that critical learning and developmental skills are formed years before kindergarten, the push for educating children earlier has grown.Here's a timeline of some of the key events that has brought the early childhood education movement to where it is today.
- 1837: German Friedrich Froebel develops the first kindergarten. The classroom is centered on the idea that play was needed for children to learn.
- 1856: Margarethe Meyer Schurz, a German immigrant, introduces the first American kindergarten in Watertown, Wis. The children learn through arts and crafts, music and play. The model quickly spreads.
- 1940s: During War World II, women flood the workplace, filling roles left vacant by men fighting overseas. The federal government creates more than 3,000 child care centers.
GA_googleFillSlotWithSize("ca-pub-5440138744487553", "News_Main_300x250", 300, 250); - 1960: David Weikart opens Perry Elementary School, which focuses on children "learning by doing." The school is interested in reaching students that the system had traditionally failed.
- 1965: The federally funded Head Start program begins. Focusing on low-income families, the program provides education, health, nutrition and parent involvement services to preschool-aged children.
- 1970s: The feminist movement and a poor economy combined to see a boom of mothers entering the work force.
- 1980s and 1990s: Advances in research points to the importance of critical brain development between the ages of birth and 3. Early childhood education gains momentum.
- 1990: Oklahoma voters pass an education reform bill that provides state funding for any school district that offers preschool to 4-year-olds qualifying under Head Start. Children who didn't meet the low-income guidelines also could attend, but they had to pay. In 1998, a bill is passed providing funding for all 4-year-olds regardless of income.
Early childhood education programs require caregivers who can provide quality early childhood learning. These teachers must possess skills required to deal with children with love and affection. Early childhood caegivers should have the following qualities:
1. Good early-childhood teachers must be able to easily relate to children and their parents. This helps them to understand the problems faced by children as well as their parents.
2. Early childhood programs who require teachers must keep themselves updated and should continuously enhance their knowledge. They must know about innovative teaching techniques and how to make teaching and learning a great experience.
3. They must know how to deal with various situations while teaching young kids. They must know how to solve problems of the kids with patience and skill. An experienced teacher will be efficient in finding solution to the problems faced by children and their parents.
4. Early childhood teachers who are enthusiastic and ready to go out of the way to help the child learn and understand are just perfect. They are always ready to help children and infuse in them the skills required to have a successful future.
In recent years there has been a lot of discussion about the importance of early childhood education and the crucial role it plays in the development of a child. But where do we go from here? What is the future of early childhood education?
// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 6:20 AM 
