Early Childhood Education
QUICK LOOK AT THE CHAPTER AHEAD
Demand has grown for well-run early-education programs.
Modern programs are a blend of both cognitive and social elements.
The goals of these programs reflect today’s realization of the importance of biopsychosocial interactions.
Among the early proponents of early education programs was Maria Montessori.
Piaget’s ideas of cognitive development—particularly those of the preoperational period—have been widely adopted in preschool programs.
Project Head Start originated from the federal government’s attempt to eliminate poverty in the 1960s.
TERMS
Absorbent mind
Biopsychosocial model
Constructivism
Developmentally appropriate
Prepared environment
Project Head Start
Sensitive periods
The U.S. Department of Education has identified the “three Rs” of early childhood education:
The U.S. Department of Education has identified the “three Rs” of early childhood education:1. Relationships, which refers to the need for loving relationships during the early childhood years to help develop children’s sense of confidence and security
2. Resilience, which refers to a child’s ability to meet challenges successfully
3. Readiness, which combines good health, positive schooling, and good schools
1. Relationships, which refers to the need for loving relationships during the early childhood years to help develop children’s sense of confidence and security
2. Resilience, which refers to a child’s ability to meet challenges successfully
3. Readiness, which combines good health, positive schooling, and good schools
The growing demand for early education (preschool and kindergarten programs) is testimony to the critical importance of education during the early years. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has defined an early childhood education program as any group program in a center, school, or other facility that serves children from birth through age 8 (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997).
Today’s programs are not exclusively social or cognitive; typically elements of both occur in all programs (Dacey, Travers, & Fiore, 2008). Developmentally appropriate practices are based on data from three sources: child development and learning, the characteristics of individual children, and the contexts in which children develop.
Developmentally appropriate practices are based on data from three sources: child development and learning, the characteristics of individual children, and the contexts in which children develop.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL INTERACTIONSIn today’s early-childhood education programs, children are encouraged to learn through interacting with their environments and to be active participants in constructing knowledge. To help children achieve this goal, developmental psychologists have adopted a biopsychosocial model (Table 34-1).
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