What are the Main Objectives of Early Childcare Education?

Early childcare education should provide structured, well-thought curriculum and learning experiences so that teachers and assistants are creating experiences that focus on all areas of learning. By focusing on learning, children will not only be prepared for kindergarten, but they will also be better prepared for life.

Social-Emotional Skills

We have all heard a child say, “You’re not my friend anymore!” when something upsets him or her. The truth is this the person saying it doesn’t mean it! Learning to listen to your emotions and decide ways to respond is called social-emotional learning. Children need to learn how to use appropriate, respectful words to respond in positive and truthful ways to peers and adults. Lessons and activities need to be provided during childcare and early learning education so that there is space to intentionally practice naming feelings, positive conflict resolution, and grow through positive feedback and experiences. Soon children will be saying, “I don’t like it when you take my toy” or “Let’s play together and share” instead of assigning blame or pain to peers.

Problem-Solving Skills

While some problem-solving ties in with social-emotional learning, there are more objectives that are included. For example, solving puzzles, making predictions, asking for help, predicting, building, creating, and designing are all skills that rely on problem-solving are all critical life-skills that need to be intentionally built into early childcare education.

Hygiene and Self-Care

Cleanliness, exercise/ movement, and nutrition are essential life skills. Children need to practice each of these to be successful at dressing, tooth brushing, hand washing, covering coughs and blowing noses, developing healthy eating habits, and taking care of their belongings.

Cognitive Skills

Early childhood experiences should develop core skills that help your brain think, read, learn, remember, focus, and reason. Cognitive skills can impact all other skills.

Academic Skills

Children learn as they experience the world around them. Rich experiences provide for learning different academic skills, including

Math: number awareness, counting with one-to-one correspondence, shape recognition, patterns, sorting, number recognition

Language: rhymes, letter names and recognition, writing practice, early reading skills

Listening and Communication Skills

Listening skills help children build relationships. Listening is required when having a conversation, following directions, and for an understanding of what is happening in an environment. Communication expresses needs, wants, feelings, opinions, and questions.

Stepping Stones Childcare

Early childcare education and early learning need to help children:

• learning to trust others
• developing social skills that help children work well with others and develop strong problem-solving skills to equip students for conflict resolution, self- help and self-advocacy, communication, awareness of others’ feelings and how to interact sensitively and thoughtfully
• Developing fine and gross motor skills that will support
  • shoe tying
  • eating
  • zipping coats and pants
  • bathroom skills
  • coordination
  • climbing
  • balancing
  • hand-eye coordination that assist with literacy skills
  • overall brain development

Stepping Stones Child Care in The Woodlands, TX is dedicated to providing meaningful early childcare education. Contact us to learn more about how we can partner with you.