Preschool Education
Our
society tends to stress the importance of preschool education by its
cognitive milestones, i.e., letter recognition, reading skills, math
readiness. Parents naturally want the best education available for
their children. As preschool teachers, it is our responsibility to help
parents understand the kinds of activities and programs that are most
beneficial in the preschool environment. According to the High-Scope
Educational Research Foundation, preschool programs that focus on the
child’s broad development-rather than rigid academics- result in
better-adjusted pre-teens and teen-agers. Learning how to play, as a
child is a lesson that must not be treated lightly. It is a vital
component of early childhood development and a milestone that will be
returned to time and again throughout adult life.
The
development of positive social and emotional skills is one of the most
important aspects of preschool education. It is important for a child
to have a positive self-image and to feel confident. Preschool programs
balance-helping children learn how to function in a group setting as
well deal with the unique personalities of other children. They must
take pride in their individuality and recognize and accept differences
in others.
Learning,
as we traditionally think of it in an academic sense, takes place
throughout the day in a good preschool. Children learn through the
process of doing as well as grasping the concepts that will form the
foundation for continuing education. While many valuable learning
activities may seem like” just play”, there’s more to the activities
than meets the eye. For instance, piecing together puzzles prepares a
child for reading by helping them to discriminate puzzle piece shapes,
which is a forerunner to discriminating the differences between
letters. Stringing beads, manipulating play dough and connecting Legos
all help to strengthen the muscles in a child’s hands and fingers,
which is prerequisite for writing. Water play can help a child grasp
early math concepts, such as rules of conservation. The key is to make
certain that preschoolers are not required to produce or perform to an
arbitrary skill level, or to “do it the right way.”
Piaget,
the renowned early childhood education theorist, concluded that
children develop abilities in predictable stages as their bodies and
minds grow and develop. It is not possible to “hurry” these stages by
making children do “advanced work”. The program must make certain there
are many activities at a variety of levels so that children are able to
find their niche and enhance their skills as they develop. The ideal is
to stimulate a child’s interest and curiosity while allowing for
continual success.
The
traditional view of learning involves desks, books, blackboards and
teacher lectures. However, many experts now agree that young children
learn much more when they are allowed to move about, manipulating
materials and interacting with others. We believe the best preschool
program provides both free time and short group time. Many choices are
offered in free play settings, because we believe the decision- making
process is one of the most valuable attributes we can nurture in our
children. Group time, on the other hand is devoted to a specific
activity and is designed to not only develop specific skills but also
to begin to develop the attention span of our children.
Every
childcare center has a unique educational philosophy. We at Children’s
Creative center are no different. It is our belief that the optimum
program is one, which offers a wide array of options and activities so
that each child is able to grow at his or her individual pace. A
diverse staff that brings their unique background and culture to the
center and in turn enhances the diversity of the program itself also
enhances it.
Children's Creative Center
1600 Pauline Blvd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
(734) 769-0019