Early Childhood Education Manifesto

There are many people out there who look upon the early childhood educator as nothing more than a glorified babysitter.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  If one looks in on a good preschool classroom it may look like the children are “just playing,” but that play can be filled with numerous learning experiences for the young child.  The difference in early childhood education and primary and secondary schooling is how the children learn.  In the preschool classroom the teaching should begin with the child, not the subject matter, therefore, it takes a different kind of teacher to be in early childhood education.

The early childhood educator has to have the natural ability, or be willing to learn, how to treat young children with respect as the capable, trustworthy people they are.  What this means is that teachers have to be willing to allow the children in their class to guide them in how subjects should be taught.  An example of this would be, instead of asking a three to five year old to sit down with ABC flash cards the teacher needs to find fun ways to incorporate the ABC’s into an activity that involves the building blocks the children are so interested in.

Successful teachers in the field of early childhood education must use their knowledge of child development to plan fun and meaningful activities that the children are interested in.  For example a young child will learn so much more from an open ended art project than from sitting down and working on a modeled craft the teacher has come up with.  An example of this would be how children can learn about the properties of glue simply by being allowed to squeeze the glue out of the bottle onto paper.  Teachers will ask questions to further a child’s knowledge, such as, “Where did the glue go when it dried?”

A good early childhood educator will allow children to do what they do best and that is to play and explore.  The young child can be looked at as a little scientist or explorer.  They learn best when they are allowed to actually experience things.  I wonder if the expression “don’t cry over spilt milk” came from an early childhood educator because the child who spills their milk (or pours it out on the table) is learning something.  They are learning that the liquid will spread when not confined in a container; they can also learn to clean up after themselves.  Give the child a paper towel and a regular cloth or a sponge and watch with them to see what happens.  They are learning!

Building relationships with the children, their families and the community is another very important part of being an early childhood educator.  When you build relationships you build trust. When people trust you they are more likely to listen when you try to give them information on how their child learns.  It is important for parents and families to know that their child is not a “bad” child because he/she is into everything.  He/she is just doing what kids do and that is being an explorer.  Building strong relationships in your community is also a great way to get the help of its members.  Bringing in community helpers such as the fire and police departments or a veterinary from your town is a great learning experience for the children.  Better yet, maybe they would allow your class to visit their establishment.

Teaching the very young child can be a challenge, but when teachers use their knowledge and plan activities based on what children like they are giving these children way more than you can imagine.  Studies have shown that a good experience in preschool can lead children to better outcomes in later school years as well as decreasing the rate of high school drop outs.  It may look like the early childhood educator is “just playing,” but there is so much that can be learned from that play!  Anything can become a learning experience when you know what to look for and making it fun and exciting for the children is a key factor in this process.