Early childhood education is an important step in educating young minds and offering stimulating opportunities for exploring and learning. Those who contributed to the discipline of early childhood education came from occupations and professions outside the academic domain. What they had in common was an understanding of children. And that is what makes early childhood education unique; it starts with the child and not with the subject matter.

Historical Foundations of Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education has roots that reach far back into history. For over 2,000 years  the issues of “why” and “how” to teach young children have engaged philosophers, psychologists and educators seeking to discover universal laws of child development.

• Plato (428-348 BC), a leading Greek philosopher, believed all children were born with a defined amount of knowledge, and that education served to ‘remind’ them of this inherent understanding of the world, and help them use it in their everyday lives.  Plato viewed play as a form of anticipatory socialization. If children were to become builders, he suggested, they should play at building houses. The teacher’s role was to try to direct children’s inclinations and pleasures through play towards their final aim in life.
• Quintilian (AD 35-95), educator in the new Roman empire, was also an advocate for play, and encouraged parents to choose their children’s tutors and nurses with great care, emphasizing learning through imitation rather than intimidation.
• Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a keen advocate of universal education, and believed both boys and girls should be educated to read independently so that they could have access to the Bible, instead of relying on verbal retelling. He believed the school’s role was to educate the intellectual, religious, physical, emotional, and social aspects of children.
• John Amos Comenius (1592-1670)  published what many consider to be the first picture book dedicated to the education of young children. Comenius believed all children to age 6 should be taught in their native languages. He was also the first to introduce the concept of “grades”, or different levels of education determined by each individual child’s age and developmental stage.
• John Locke (1632-1704) developed the theory (known as “Tabula Rasa”, or “Blank Slate”) that children come into the world with an empty mind, and that knowledge and learning is received through experience and converted to understanding through reasoning. Locke strongly believed in “nurture” over “nature.” This belief led him to emphasize the idea of early education and changes in parental care, such as allowing young children to explore their world physically without restraint and the use of gentle forms of discipline. He emphasized respectful, loving relationships as the best way for adults to inspire the child to replicate their behaviours, and that learning should be fun, not a task to be imposed.
• Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was a French writer, philosopher, and social theorist. His belief in the innate goodness of children led him to propose early schooling that enabled children to direct their own activities, free from the constraints imposed by “society”. He also believed education should begin at birth and continue well into adulthood, emphasizing the differences between the minds of children and adults, and adjusting educational methods accordingly. According to Rousseau, children learned best by experiencing and exploring their environments. This idea is still incorporated into ECE programs today. Such child-centred education, emphasizing activity and the use of senses, was thought to foster the development of each child’s moral and intellectual potential.

• Most of us probably think of kindergarten when we consider early childhood education. We can thank Friedrich Froebel (1782 – 1852), a German educator who created kindergarten in Germany in 1837, for that. Froebel’s idea was born out of the desire to socialize young children and to expose them to an education in science, music, and language outside the home. Following Rousseau’s philosophy, Froebel advocated respect for young children’s needs and the importance of sensory training. He promoted the importance of play as the educational “medium” through which children could reach their intellectual and emotional potentials. Suggesting that children progress through different age-related “phases”, he proposed that certain materials, or “gifts”, be incorporated into the kindergarten curriculum to correspond with these phases, hence enhancing development. This notion of appropriate “match” has been the cornerstone of many contemporary early education programs.
• Maria Montessori  (1870-1952), Italy’s first woman physician, continued the Froebelian tradition within a different context. Concerned with the welfare of young, poor urban children in Italy, she established her “children’s houses” in Rome in 1907. Like Froebel, Montessori implemented an early education curriculum that was founded on a developmental theory, employed play as the instructional method, and introduced developmentally appropriate materials designed to facilitate sensory and cognitive skills. Her method, which like kindergarten also spread throughout the world, was child-centered and child-directed, meaning that individual students learn based on what they are interested in at the time.

Approaches and Teaching Methods in ECE Today

The Montessori Method – Self-Directed Learning

In a Montessori classroom, the main interaction is between the child and the materials, not between the teacher and the child. Initially, the teacher demonstrates the proper use of each set of materials, after which children may work on them individually or in small groups. The teacher’s role in a Montessori school is to observe in order to connect the child with the suitable materials. Children learn through experience, by observing and doing. They practice life skills like buttoning, zipping, cutting, and gardening, enabling children to care for themselves as well as their environment. Learning in the Montessori classroom is cumulative, constantly building on what was learned prior. Activities are primarily individual, and children move around the classroom freely, choosing their own activities. The emphasis is on self-directed learning; children pursue their own interests at the pace that best suits them, rather than moving through teacher-led lessons as a group. Children develop respect for each other and their classroom, placing items back on shelves before reaching for new ones. Their work is taken seriously, and not regarded as play.

The High/Scope Program – Plan-Do-Review Process

High/Scope was founded in 1970 and emerged from the work Dave Weikart and Connie Kamii did on the Perry Preschool Project. High/Scope provides broad, realistic educational experiences geared to children’s current stages of development, to promote the constructive processes of learning necessary to broaden emerging intellectual and social skills. In a High/Scope classroom, students are engaged in learning ‘centers’, including building, dramatic play, math, reading, music, writing, art, science, and motor development. A typical day would demonstrate a three-part process: “Plan-Do-Review.” Beginning with planning, the class and teacher discuss and create plans for a certain play period. Children go about their various activities, (Do) while teachers observe and offer support. The “review” process takes place after the play period, where students and teachers gather to discuss what they have found. This helps children understand their own actions, and enables connections between action and language. Children’s work is proudly displayed on the walls of the classroom.

Waldorf Schools – Hands-On Exploration

Developed by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) in 1919, Waldorf programs aim to educate the whole child “” “head, heart, and hands.” Children in Waldorf schools are allowed to remain ‘childlike’, under the belief that there is a time for every aspect of development, and that children ought not to receive formal education until after the age of 7. Learning is hands-on, achieved through cooking, art projects, storytelling, singing, puppet shows, dress-up, and play. The teacher stays with the same group of children from preschool through eighth grade. The focus in the Waldorf classroom is on sensory exploration and self-discovery rather than formal instruction and merit, helping children develop  a sense of compassion and responsibility. The use of electronic media, especially TV, by young children is discouraged in Waldorf schools.

Reggio Emilia Schools – Classroom as the “Third Teacher”

Loris Malaguzzi (1920-1994) founded the Reggio Emilia approach at the Italian city of the same name. The Reggio approach fosters intellectual development through a focus on symbolic representation. The primary curriculum is in-depth project work based on the interests of the children. Children are encouraged to express themselves through ‘natural languages’, including drawing, painting, working in clay, sculpting, constructing, conversing, and dramatic play. In a Reggio Emilia school, educators pay close attention to the look and feel of the classroom, which is often referred to as the “third teacher.” The goal is to create a room that is beautiful, joyful, inviting, and stimulating. Teachers document the children’s discussions, remarks, and activities through notes, videos, and photographs. This makes learning visible and helps parents to understand what their children are learning; teachers get to know the children better; and children see that their work is valued.

Bank Street Approach – Learning by Doing

John Dewey (1859-1952) and his theory of “˜learning by doing’ influenced this developmental approach. The focus of Bank Street preschools is on a child’s mental, social, emotional, and physical growth. In these programs, the child is an active learner and gains knowledge about the world through experience. Students set the learning pace, and the teacher serves as a guide. Bank Street approach teaches lessons through hands-on activities, such as building blocks, puzzles, clay, and dramatic play.

Which Educational Philosophy Is Best?

As the preschool options seem endless, many parents wonder if they will ever be able to choose a program that is a good match for their child. Here are some guidelines to help them in the process:

• Carefully consider your child’s personality and learning style before investigating the options. After all, you know your child best.
• Research the various types of programs available, and make the selection of those that best fit your child’s needs.
• Visit each type of school and then try to determine the program that feels right for your child and family.

What type of ECE program do your kids attend? How did you choose your child’s preschool? Share with us your thoughts and experience.

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In the modern technological climate children are born with the expectation of a screen of some sorts being presented to them from a very early age. As technology dominates our lives, learning basic computer programming isn’t just a smart idea; it’s an essential skill for grown-ups and children alike.

While coding used to be something reserved for the highly technical and programmers, it is now a valuable, universal language that is surprisingly easy, fun, and useful for our kids to learn. Computer coding for kids is a new type of literacy that will allow them a different way to communicate with others, use problem-solving and be creative.

Coding programs for children have gained considerable popularity with the introduction of tablets which make computer interaction more palatable for little hands. Coding apps like ScratchJr not only give children the opportunity to learn skills essential to computer programming at an early age but also support parents to integrate technology into their children’s lives in a meaningful way.

Copyright: Syda Productions

Beauty and joy of kids coding

ScratchJr is an introductory programming language that encourages creativity and expression, enabling five- to seven-year-old children to create their own interactive projects through coding. Using ScratchJr, children can snap together programming blocks to make characters move, jump, dance, and sing. They can modify how their characters look, design their own backgrounds, add their own voices and sounds and even photos of themselves and then use the programming blocks to bring their characters to life. In this way children explore concepts of computer programming and digital content creation in a safe and fun environment.

ScratchJr was inspired by the popular Scratch programming language also developed by the MIT Media Lab and already used by millions of children aged eight and up around the world. The ScratchJr team redesigned the interface and language to make them developmentally appropriate for younger children, with features to match young children’s cognitive, personal, social, and emotional development.

Benefits of ScratchJr for children

As young children code with ScratchJr, they learn how to create and express themselves with the computer, rather than just interact with software created by others. Children learn to think sequentially, explore cause and effect, and develop design and problem-solving skills. At the same time, they learn to use math and language in a meaningful and motivating context. They also get instructed how to divide complex problems into simpler parts, iteratively refine and improve their work, remix and build on the work of others and persevere in the face of challenges. These skills are important for everyone, not just people who will grow up to become scientists, engineers, or computer scientists. With ScratchJr, children aren’t just learning to code, they are coding to learn.

Copyright: Africa Studio

Let’s code together

The most important educational value of any programming environment is that it allows children to make their abstract thought processes visible on the screen. Once the thoughts are made concrete, they can be easily manipulated and controlled in a more tangible way. And, because they are displayed visually on the screen, parents and educators can gain insight into what and how a child is thinking. Scratch was designed so that this visualization is very clear. In addition to sharing their own games and animations on the web, children can invite parents, grandparents, siblings, extended family members and friends to step into this amazing world of coding and work together to create new projects in ScratchJr.

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In spite of the differences in education, culture, and economics across the globe, one thing remains clear in every community: quality early childhood care and education yields countless positive cognitive, social, and emotional development effects. Since the 1930’s a growing body of evidence demonstrates that investing in the first five years of a child’s life has lasting effects, more so than just health or financial interventions alone.

Disparity of Access to ECE

Unfortunately, in spite of understanding the importance of early childhood education, there is a disparity in who has access to it. Further, there is significant research demonstrating that it is not just access to early childhood care and education that we need to be worrying about, but also the quality of that care.

Across the globe, access to early childhood education varies wildly. In Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Somalia, Yemen, and many other nations, less than ten percent of children have access to early childhood education programs. This is in contrast to countries like Jamaica and Belarus where approximately 90% of children have access to early childhood education programs.  Both economics and race are at play in these statistics. In many nations, such as Ukraine, Ghana, and Mongolia, families in the richest quarter of the population are more than twice as likely to have access to early childhood education programs than those in the poorest 25%.

Early Childhood Education: Economic Impact

Economics not only impact which children are available to access early childhood education programs, but the quality of the programs that they are accessing. Generally speaking, early childhood educational programs in nations with higher incomes result in average positive impacts across cognitive, social development, education, and health changes that were approximately 20 percent higher than those in lower-income nations.

Editorial Credit: Patrik Dietrich / Shutterstock.com

The disparity between higher and lower income nations is likely the result of the difference in quality between the interventions that are possible for children in the different economies. This idea has since been verified in more controlled settings. In Mauritius, for example, a randomized trial between high-quality and average quality early childhood education showed that all received positive benefits, but the higher quality interventions resulted in more positive early cognitive effects and reductions in later conduct disorders.

The Acess to ECE: Race Issues

Race is another critical indicator of the likeliness of a child to access high quality early childhood care. In the United States, for instance, of the children who do have access to educational programs, Hispanic children are more likely to access high quality programs than black children. Unfortunately, black children in the United States are least likely to be in a high-quality setting and most likely to be a low-quality early childhood program. Comparing the United States against other nations in educational performance reveals that the nation’s lackluster performance on testing is not due to economic diversity alone, given that many poorer nations outperformed American students. That suggests that the racial disparities, often resulting from racial residential segregation, are in part to blame for the nations performance as a whole.

Copyright: spass

So why does this need to change? Focusing on early childhood education has demonstrated marked improvements in the lives of children across the globe. Countless studies have demonstrated that effective early childhood education results in both short- and long-term effects on intelligence, subject matter knowledge, social behaviors, executive functions, delinquency, crime, and mental health including depression. In addition to all of these benefits for the children, prior research (most of which has focused exclusively on the United States) highlights the value gained from early childhood care and education.

Benefits of an Improved Access and Quality of ECE

Improved access and quality of early childhood development programs is correlated to an increase both short-term gains for maternal employment and long-term gains for the child’s subsequent earning potential. This result was particularly important for low- and middle-income families. Increasing pre-kindergarten enrollment from 25 to 50% would have a cost-to-benefit ratio between 6 and 17 to one based solely on earnings increases. The true benefits would likely be even higher, given the reduction in costs associated with grade repetitions for low-performing students, reduced need for costly special-education programs, and reduced pressure on the criminal justice and healthcare systems.

The importance of early childhood education is not just limited to young children. The impacts on children’s lives are long lasting and ripple throughout a community. Increased access to early childhood education decreases the incidence of crime, diminishes healthcare challenges, and overall benefits the economy. Nations and communities, need to focus their attention on the first five years of development, particularly in children of low- and middle-income and previously underserved races, to improve access to early childhood education and consequently strengthen their communities as a whole.

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Watching the video of the Friendship Games brought back some wonderful memories. The Friendship Games were one of my very first experiences at the Novak Djokovic Foundation. This  was the first time that I had the pleasure of interacting with those who benefit from the Foundation’s work: disadvantaged children from different parts of Serbia, coming together to learn of the value of friendship and to participate in diverse learning experiences. The volunteers who made it all possible exuded so much energy and enthusiasm, and when Novak and Jelena first arrived on the scene that very first day, everyone simply could not believe their eyes. What a memorable experience we all shared!

As adults, we can only glean a little bit about what such experiences truly mean for these young children. One could see the curiosity in their eyes as each new event introduced them to novel activities and to children from different backgrounds and parts of the country. The Friendship Games are unique and unlike anything these young participants get to experience in their hometowns. Being part of an organisation that enriches so many lives, in so many ways, is truly humbling.

NDF – 3rd Friendship Games

Value and purpose behind the Friendship Games

There is much that could be said about the Friendship Games but I think, at the core, one of the key strengths is the ability for such a gathering to speak loudly and clearly to the world at large about the virtues of early childhood education and the vibrancy of youth. In a way, the Friendship Games capture the essence of what lies in our hearts, and it showcases youth’s potential in a tremendously palpable way.

Congregating from different parts of the country, many of those attending had never met each other, and yet barriers were quickly lowered and wonderful new friendships forged.

The Friendship Games enrich the future as much as they do the present, and in the process create indelible memories that last a lifetime:

Join Us

At the Novak Djokovic Foundation we are touching thousands of lives, through establishing new preschools where they’re needed most, training new teachers who strive for excellence and quality, and galvanizing society and policymakers in support of early childhood education.

Our family is growing and our impact is evermore pronounced. With your help and generosity, we can do so much more.  

If you would like to support the work of the Novak Djokovic Foundation, you can donate here.

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