Early childhood education is often taken for granted. It sometimes gets categorized with children's play, reading to them and being attentive to their needs. However, it is an essential part of child development as this is a period when the foundation for learning is laid. This period has been statistically proven to be the phase when language, literacy, math and other skills are developed from which they acquire knowledge in future.
There are innumerable reasons why early childhood education is important in child development. The first and the foremost reason is that it can play a vital role in creating a positive attitude towards learning in children. It in turn enhances their cognitive development and motivates them to learn more. The children who have been exposed to early education are more prepared for school education and are less likely to get diverted by other leisure activities. They are also better communicators when they grow up as they have developed their oral and listening skills during this period.
Socialisation: Socialisation is an essential part of child development. This includes interaction with people, both adults and children. It is the process by which a person learns various social skills that are necessary for leading a smooth life. The appreciation of good behavior and habits in childhood becomes most important as it helps to build self-confidence.
Cooperation: The kindergarten is the beginning of the social life and learning to share and cooperate. These are all part of a social life. This is especially beneficial for single children. In the safe environment provided, the child learns to cooperate with guidance from professionals.
Holistic Development: Early childhood development is very important as it is the foundation for primary education. If you have a child who is not well mannered or has difficulty talking to others then your child will have to face lots of difficulties while studying. Teachers are trained to deal with kids in order to identify the weaker aspects of a child and to enhance those aspects. It is important to have a strong foundation in every aspect of the personality such as emotional, social, mental and physical.
Enthusiasm for Lifelong Learning: A good early childhood education program can lay the foundation for a lifelong love of learning. Enthusiasm for lifelong learning is a key factor in success and accomplishment. People who seek to improve themselves over their entire lifetime are more likely to succeed. As a result, skills learned early on will be reinforced throughout your life.
Value of Education: Many people think that education is only required in the early stages of life. However, preschool has proved to be a very stimulating decision that enhances the development of children’s minds and helps them assimilate further knowledge with an ease. The new environment provided in preschool gives children an entirely different perspective on the requirement of education.
Teamwork: Despite the fact that kindergarteners spend a lot of time on creative and individual work, they are always encouraged to complete their work in groups. Teamwork is an interesting activity for preschoolers because it helps them communicate and share their opinions with others. Moreover, teamwork develops trust between children and teaches them to deal with conflicts.
Confidence and Self Esteem: Making art falls, exploring new toys and games, cooking in the early childhood education classroom adds to the child’s confidence as they experience learning through experimentation. Seeing a group of friends having an afternoon snack also makes them want to be part of it. It is this positive self-esteem that builds their sense of wellbeing and teaches them how to form strong relationships with others, which helps them throughout their lives to have a healthy expression of self-esteem.
Cognitive Development: It is important that children be provided with activities appropriate to their developmental needs at any given stage of their life. The proper stimulation in the early years leads to the growth of their cognitive abilities which help them to add new knowledge and skills. This creates an overall foundation for academic performance and future developments.
Accessibility: Access to early childhood education is limited to urban schools and as a result, many children in poor regions are missing out on early childhood education. Early childhood education should be given in more rural areas so that children would have an equal chance to make it to primary school. Early childhood education is an integral part of development in this stage and programs need to be created soon before the disadvantage in primary school occurs. So start with educating kids about protecting their environment.
Poor quality education: The inability to achieve satisfactory levels of learning, language and cognitive development, requires further attention. The Committee has been informed that children participating in early childhood learning programmes have experienced deficiencies in the teacher pedagogy. Poor quality teachers often lack training in early childhood pedagogy. This can result in children receiving poor quality teaching.
Less focus on early childhood education: Although India has made significant progress in promoting and implementing early childhood programmes for development, there still is a lingering sense of deficiency in these programmes.