Modern research has underscored the importance of early experiences for children. This new awareness has prompted many communities to develop programs that address specific needs.
One example is Erikson’s psychosocial theory, which posits that parents and educators are vital to supporting a child’s success in each psychosocial stage for a positive outcome. Another is the Reggio Emilia approach.
Community-Based Programs
Many communities, from Bridgeport to Guilford, Connecticut to Lincoln, Nebraska, have made the effort to bring together local civic infrastructure to improve early childhood services. Efforts range from creating community tables where program partners align their goals and assure a system of connection and navigation for families to developing new local funding sources or improving the coordination of state and federal funds.
As the science of early experiences continues to highlight the importance of positive family, neighborhood and school contexts, a more holistic approach to supporting young children has emerged. This systemic approach tries to create these conditions where they don’t exist and strengthen them when they do, while also recognizing that no one program can do it all.
Early childhood education programs differ in methods and pedagogies, with some embracing a more traditional approach adhering to a pure curriculum such as Montessori or Waldorf, while others embrace more contemporary approaches that are flexible and adapted to the interests of students. In addition, there are some models that are not specific to a particular method, such as strategies for increasing math-mediated language in the classroom (Rudd, Lambert, Satterwhite & Smith, 2009) or dialogic reading by caregivers (Briesch, Chafouleas & Lebel, 2008), and these can be implemented within classes implementing curricula with different pedagogical emphases.
In these cases, the frameworks of these different methods and pedagogies serve as inspiration for what works best in the westtown daycare. In fact, a growing number of early childhood programs are experimenting with using different methodologies in the same classroom and evaluating what is most effective. In this way, it is not the methods themselves that determine what works best but rather the spirit of collaboration that unites a team and allows them to use whatever tools are needed in the moment. The value of this type of collaboration is evident in the work of the HMG WNY, where partners highly rated their connections with each other for power and influence, level of involvement, and resource contributions. Partners reported that HMG WNY has been successful in meeting its system-building goals by forming and strengthening relationships, increasing partner knowledge of the early childhood field, fostering a more diverse and inclusive network, developing strategic rural partnerships, and efficiently coordinating resources to prevent service duplication.
Social-Emotional Learning
Many early childhood theorists focus on specific educational techniques, but there is also a broad consensus that the success of students largely depends on their social-emotional skills. Educators who understand this concept and implement a curriculum that helps students learn how to interact positively with one another, manage their emotions, and become more self-aware can help set them up for success in school and beyond.
While this approach is not a cure-all for education, it is a good place to start. Educators can also use the principles of SEL to help support students through challenges they might face outside of the classroom. This can help students develop the coping skills that will enable them to navigate these situations in positive ways and feel comfortable discussing them with their teachers.
Educators should also use the guiding principles of SEL to help students develop critical thinking and decision-making skills. This will teach them to identify problems, solve them, and reflect on their actions in a way that is respectful of others. Students who struggle with these skills can experience a disconnect from the classroom and may not engage in learning activities as well.
It is important for educators to be aware of these alternative approaches and understand their aims, philosophical and theoretical frameworks, historical development, benefits, and challenges. This will allow them to understand how these models can be adapted for future applications in the field of early childhood education.
In addition, it is important to consider the cultural contexts and implications of these alternative models as they are implemented in different regions of the world. This will allow educators to better understand how they can adapt these models for their local needs.
As an example, in China, there is a strong emphasis on parenting and early education. Parents are expected to spend time teaching their children a wide variety of subjects. The country also has a well-developed system of kindergartens (yochien) that are staffed by young female junior college graduates and supervised by the Ministry of Education. This approach is also based on the idea that children learn best through hands-on experiences.
Healthy Lifestyles
Recent advances in child development science offer an unprecedented opportunity to solve some of society’s most challenging problems—from widening gaps in school achievement and economic productivity to costly health issues across the lifespan. These new insights into how children develop and use core skills, as well as the effects of excessive stress, can help policymakers and system leaders think in new ways about how to support families raising young children and address “upstream” sources of problems more effectively.
To do that, they need a more holistic approach to early childhood systems that is guided by the science of human development and focuses on supporting responsive relationships for both children and adults. These approaches can help to ensure that children are developing the core capabilities they need to thrive in their homes, schools, and communities. They can also help to reduce sources of stress for families that contribute to inequality, poverty, and poor outcomes.
In HMG WNY’s experience, building a robust early childhood system requires a broad range of partners—from local government, nonprofits, and community-based organizations to the state and federal levels. While the 1990s saw an explosion of direct service programs for infants and toddlers, children, and pregnant women, those programs were often delivered in isolation from each other and without adequate resources.
HMG WNY’s system partners rated the network highly for its power and influence, level of engagement, and resource contributions. They also rated it highly for the quality of its data dashboard and the effectiveness of its strategies for partnership development, communication, and advocacy. Despite these successes, the partners acknowledged that their work is not yet done. They cited challenges to funding, addressing leadership or staff turnover, and engaging broader groups in the network as areas that need improvement. They also emphasized that they needed to improve the timeliness and accuracy of developmental screenings.
Technology
In a time when academic achievement has become more of a priority in education, many children are experiencing an overload of stress and pressure. This has led to the rise of programs that let kids be kids and encourage play as a learning tool, as well as more creative hands-on teaching methods. This return to a more relaxed educational environment is a welcome relief for many students.
In addition, there is a growing focus on early childhood as a crucial part of overall human development. In fact, the United Nations adopted a set of goals called Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 that include early childhood development as one of its priorities. This includes ensuring that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-primary education, in order to prepare them for primary school.
The schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy have inspired educators around the world to embrace a pedagogy that fosters creativity and curiosity. This approach also focuses on the use of natural and highly-designed learning materials to stimulate the imagination and teach children about their environment. Teachers in this method are trained to listen to the needs of each child and respond to them with a variety of instructional activities.
Many different educational approaches have evolved over the years, and it’s important for teachers to know about the varying perspectives in order to choose the best approach for their classrooms. The three most popular philosophies of early childhood education are the Montessori, the Waldorf, and the Reggio Emilia model. These approaches all share a common goal of helping children to reach their full potential. However, each one has its own unique approach to teaching and learning that sets it apart from the others.
Each approach focuses on a different philosophy about the nature of children and how they learn. They also differ in their approach to curriculum and instruction. For example, the Montessori philosophy emphasizes freedom, order, and mastery of self, while the Waldorf approach stresses creativity, spontaneity, and social interaction between students and teachers. The Reggio Emilia approach is more student-centered than the other two models and teaches students to be active participants in their own education.