Preschool education.html

"Pre-school" redirects here. For the South Park episode, see Pre-School (South Park).

Preschool education is the provision of education for children before the commencement of statutory education, usually between the ages of two and five, dependent on the jurisdiction. Preschool is also known as nursery school, day care or kindergarten (other than in the US, Canada, and Australia, where kindergarten is part of the statutory education system, preceding first grade, and in the UK, where the word kindergarten is not normally used).^{citation needed}

1 Developmental areas
2 Ages for and importance of preschool education
3 Methods of preschool education
4 Day care
5 References
6 See also

Developmental areas

The areas of development which preschool education covers varies from country to country. However the following main 'themes' are represented in the majority of systems.^[1]^[2]

Personal, social and emotional development
Communication, including talking and listening
Knowledge and understanding of the world
Creative and aesthetic development
Physical development
Mathematical awareness and development

Allowing preschool aged children to discover and explore freely within each of these areas of development is the foundation for developmental learning. While the NAEYC has made tremendous strides in publicizing and promoting the idea of developmentally appropriate practice, there is still much work to be done. It is widely recognized that although many preschool educators are aware of the guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice, putting this practice to work effectively in the classroom is more challenging. The NAEYC published that although 80% of Kindergarten classrooms claim to be developmentally appropriate, only 20% actually are.

Ages for and importance of preschool education

Preschool is generally considered appropriate for children between three and five years of age, between the toddler and school stages. During this stage of development, children learn and assimilate information rapidly, and express interest and fascination in each new discovery. These qualities make them prime candidates for education, although most are not ready for structured primary or elementary education.^{citation needed}

Universal preschool is an international movement that has made access to preschool available to families in a similar way to compulsory elementary education. Various jurisdictions and advocates have differing priorities for access, availability and funding sources.

Methods of preschool education

Some preschools have adopted specialized methods of teaching, such as Montessori, Waldorf, High Scope,^[3] The Creative Curriculum^[4] Reggio Emilia approach, Bank Street and various other pedagogies which contribute to the foundation of education.

In the United States most preschool advocates support the National Association for the Education of Young Children's Developmentally Appropriate Practices.

Day care

Main article: Day care

This article or section deals primarily with the United States and does not represent a worldwide view of the subject.
Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page.

In the USA Child Care Centers provide a preschool curriculum and do not just "babysit". Daycare/childcare centers provide services to children whose parents work or go to school. Child Care Centers should have a preschool program built into their morning routine.Regulations for requirements that must be met to ensure licensing vary from state to state. Programs are designed to provide children with the best quality programs for an entire day. In 2006, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a non-profit organization, introduced an accreditation program for these centres, which measures the quality environment for early learners and requires that staff have degrees in early childhood education.

References

The references used in this article may be clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking.