Early Childhood Care and Education
There is an old African proverb, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ thereby meaning that the holistic development of a child needs far more contributors than the parents. Truly, childhood is a period of fast paced growth and development.
Experts say that the most rapid brain changes and developments happen in the first five years of life, and so Early Childhood Care and Education is of paramount importance. Besides, there are a host of physical abilities that we probably don't even think about, and probably don't even remember having acquired in those formative years. A large part of how we manage our emotions and the way in which we interact and communicate with others is also learned in childhood.
Early Childhood Care and Education and The New National Education Policy
Early Childhood Education and Care refers to the education of children between three to six years of age. Also known as pre-primary or pre-school education in India, it lacks standardisation and clarity in terms of curriculum and its transmission. As per the ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) 2018, one out of every four Class 8 students in rural India is unable to read even a Class 2 text. This makes it imperative to prioritise learning in the ‘foundation age’. Moreover, experts are of the opinion that early childhood education improvements have a much higher payoff in later life outcomes than secondary school or higher education.
The promising and futuristic National Education Policy 2020 takes into consideration that the first 1000 days are very crucial for child development. It seeks to narrow the gap between the existing learning outcomes and the required outcomes by promoting better learning, development and the overall well-being of children. It also endeavours to ensure that each child is valued, feels safe and secure and develops a positive self-concept by providing a sound foundation for optimisation of every child's individual potential. It recommends recruiting more qualified Early Childhood Education and Care teachers in primary schools and investing in infrastructure enhancement of anganwadis and primary schools.
Early Childhood Care and Education and International Trends
A study of the trends in the field of early childhood education and care will engender new initiatives to improve and address the shortfall. Most global experts mostly predict incorporation of technology to harness the advantage of online learning. Emphasis on health safety and fitness is also a much agreed upon area of child development. Organised skill development sessions combined with free play seem to be the key to rearing fitter and well adjusted youngsters. Nature studies and interaction have also received unanimous support for conscientious and responsible citizenship.
It is, indeed, never too early to learn. By creating real life connect, making available opportunities for problem solving and high order thinking, bringing flexibility for contextualization and diverse needs of young children, ensuring the inclusion of important learning domains as well as the developmental needs of young children, can we facilitate adoption of a common pedagogical approach to ascertain holistic and quality education and to address the widespread diversity in the Early Childhood Care and Education. Curriculum planning also needs to meet the needs of the children, their families, the community and the cultural traditions to be relevant and meaningful. All this needs to be done in compliance with developmental needs such as nutrition, health and hygiene, protection and safety along with fostering language enhancement, cognitive, socio-emotional and creative and aesthetic appreciation.