Child development is a long and progressive process that begins in early childhood education to foster cognitive, social, and emotional development. As there are many opportunities, parents, and caretakers are challenged by choosing the most suitable educational program for their young learners.
This article aims to give information on different types of early childhood education and their characteristics that can guide parents on what to choose. To learn more in detail, keep reading.
1. Child Care Centers
Daycares are dependent care facilities that are designed to take care of children from age beginning from infancy up to preschool age. These centers provide more focused schedules that involve learning through play with some social aspects and other educational activities.
Daycare centers for children are operated by professional caretakers who are hired with the main duty of helping the children achieve various developmental milestones like speaking, crawling, and social interactions. The best description of this option would be for working parents who require consistent and extensive child care center services during the day.
2. Preschool Programs
Kindergarten programs that are intended for children aged three to five years offer a structured learning environment that emphasizes play-based learning. Examples of such programs include items that are concerned with teaching courses such as literacy, numeracy, and social interaction. Important objectives are also creativity, physical development, and social and emotional development as transitional goals for children in the school setting before pre school age education.
3. Montessori Schools
Montessori schools mainly focus on a child-oriented education system with learning by doing activities and lots of group activities. This newly formed learning strategy was gaining a lot of momentum among the children and was originated by Dr. Maria Montessori.
Montessori environments refer to those that are capable of accommodating students of different ages within the same group, learning that occurs through individual choices and group work, and the emphasis put on motor development and practical skills together with sensorial materials as well as academic curriculum.
4. Waldorf Education
The Waldorf education system was initiated by Rudolf Steiner. It is the system that aligns education intellectually, artistically, and practically. Therefore, you may also decide to use it. Waldorf’s educational approach in early childhood suggests focused attention to imaginative play, storytelling, artistic activities, and free time in the early years.
It enables the development of imagination, interpersonal skills, and appreciation of nature that help to produce a harmonized physical, mental, and spiritual/emotional development of the child.
5. Home-Based Early Childhood Education
Early childcare service in the home setting is a unique form of education that can be autonomous from preschool settings. The main individuals responsible for assimilation are the parents or other carers, which means that they have to be engaged in individual education.
This option provides for more efficient and comfortable settings, where learning processes are often accompanied by the use of plays and other forms of activities. It also involves involvement in playgroups and cooperatives, as well as communities, to ensure the children get the needed social interaction.