Can teaching kids at an early age lead to National Development?
Education is a progressive
activity which develops the world and the society by first developing its
individuals. It involves the transfer of valuable information, skills and ideas
from one person to another in order to increase the overall quality of human
life. Even though education spans from birth to death, its foundation lies in
the first five years of life. This stage of human life is well known by ‘Early
Childhood’.
Early
Childhood Education
The Early
Childhood Education is the first interaction of people with education. During
this time, the brain is highly receptive to learning due to brain plasticity
and high neurogenesis
The education
of early childhood prepares the children for primary school or the main school.
It holds the success of children on its shoulders and therefore is known for
its wide scope.
Scope of Early Childhood Education
Early childhood education aims to develop children holistically
across physical, social, emotional, cognitive and language domains. It consists
of various programs like the nursery, kindergarten, creche, etc. These programs
take in students as young as born babies to toddlers of 3-4 years of ages. They
take care of the health of children by gathering health information on babies, communicating
with parents, preparing nutritional supplements and taking care of their
hygiene. In addition to this, the pre-primary programs provide cognitive
stimulation in the form of play-based learning, problem solving activities,
language learning and everyday tasks. The aim of this form of education is to
encourage development in a natural, free setting. When these young children
interact with teachers and their peers, they develop their social-emotional
skills. They learn to listen to instructions of the teacher and attend to them.
They learn to take and follow directions to do a task and persist in it if they
fail to keep up. Children with early education are ahead of their game and
often do not require resources that they may need otherwise later in life. Early
education of more than 15 months is linked with lower social isolation and higher
cognitive ability in children
Ece has taken considerable responsibilities under them. Through
socialization and play-based learning, it develops their vocabulary, emotional and
creative expression, mathematical skills and cognition. In addition to this,
ece develops the physical capacities of children. Special attention is given to
gross and fine motor skills as well as safety and good health.
The above work provides an important insight into the main aim of
ece: to realize the potential of a child. When ece exposes children to a
prepared environment needed for their development, their opportunities to learn
opens up. Children are more attentive to their surroundings as everything
around them caters to their needs. They become curious and engage in activities
in a social group, this therefore removes all social and economic disparities
that divides them.
Functions of ECE to
National Development
The skills and talents developed in a young child make him a
responsible adult citizen. This is why
1.
Social and
Emotional Learning
Early childhood education prepares
children to work and behave in classrooms. Children are taught to work with a
schedule. They learn to stand to greet and walk in line when in a crowded area.
All these skills make them responsible towards others. They create attachments
with the school and empathize with their peers. This social-emotional awareness
decreases their chances of using violence and aggression
2.
Early
identification of psychological problems
Through the study conducted on 286
students in California, it was found that teachers in schools were able to
correctly identify 24% of students that needed special attention
3.
Economic growth and
Equality
Access to goods and services and
opportunities in the world vary. Children from disadvantaged families often do
not progress in life due to their poor start in early education. Early
childhood education ensures that all children regardless of their circumstances
get equal opportunity to learn. Parents as well as the govt has made enough
investments in the early education because it increases the child’s development
significantly and the child is also able to return the investment by being a
productive citizen later on
4.
Cultural and Moral
Values
Early childhood education provides
children with a diverse environment. Children learn to find their identities
way faster and appreciate the diversity. They are able to recognize and
appreciate ethical and cultural values. Such values make them empathetic and loving.
ECE makes responsible citizens who treat and understand the diverse nation positively.
5.
Language and
communication skills
Vocabulary is the basic element
taught in early education. Children are taught in groups and through play.
Skills like reading, speaking, writing, problem solving, conversing are
stressed every day. Children learn to stand up confidently and express their
views. These skills make them efficient workforce that contribute significantly
to the nation.
To synthesize the scope of ECE and its contribution to the National
Development, it can be said that ECE works for its nation. It develops
individuals that are strong mentally, emotionally, and physically. They have
good language and communicating skills, they prioritize culture and families
and they focus on their health and hygiene. Hence by laying a good foundation in
ECE, nations can become strong.
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