Early learning is more than daycare or babysitting. Since children are actively learning in different environments, early learning involves programs that provide education for children outside of their home but before kindergarten. Children who get an early learning education develop skills and profound love for learning. They could also build mastery in: social skills, listening and speaking/conversational skills, boosted creativity, and problem-solving.
However, an early learning environment also plays a fundamental role in promoting a young learner’s emotional, intellectual, and physical development. For this reason, the learning environment should be comfortable for the learner. Thus, below are five considerations for a stimulating early learning environment.
What to consider when searching for an early learning environment
- Professional teachers
To promote learning at various levels, all teachers need to have a foundational knowledge of child development. In addition, critical behaviours such as language use with children, emotional tone and warmth, responsiveness, and intentional teaching directly affect child development. Therefore, teachers should have formal education and training in early childhood education since their relationships with learners could have long-term effects on schooling and social-emotional behavioural adjustments.
- Quality
As a parent leaves his/her child in the classroom, they hope their child will get the best out of the caregiver and the environment. High-quality learning and care ensure your child develops competence and life skills. However, it is challenging to ascertain high-quality care. It is easy to verify which basic needs such as feeding, cleanliness, and safety are met. However, it is challenging to determine whether or not your child is participating in learning activities.
Furthermore, high-quality programs are expensive and out of reach for most families. However, It’s advisable to sensitize the need for high-quality early learning to ensure your child’s growth.
- Physical environment
Children need a physical environment where they can play, explore, and learn safely. It can be either indoors or outdoors. In addition, the early learning environment needs to include engaging materials that promote independence and exploration for different age groups. For example, preschoolers engage in socio-dramatic play with themselves while infants are more physical and curious about their environment. Therefore, it is crucial to a thriving early learning environment to promote literacy skills while encouraging interactions.
- Age-appropriate curriculum
An age-appropriate curriculum considers what children are capable of cognitively, physically, and emotionally at their age. However, not all children develop the same way or as quickly or slowly as their peers. Therefore, the curriculum should offer different abilities that are developmentally appropriate for different ages.
- Safety
Since child care is necessary for most people, especially working families, child safety is a guarantee. That includes regular inspection to ensure all caregivers pass a background check for child safety. Some care providers also offer regular training to their teachers on recent safety measures so once the children transition to grade school, they will remain in adequate protection. Be sure you get a licenced childcare provider in your region. Although you might trust a family member or friend, there are specific things that child care providers are experts on that your friends or family might not be familiar with, and therefore, might not know how to handle.
Conclusion
Early learning is crucial in the developmental growth of a child. It helps them boost their motor skills while still instilling life skills. However, choosing the right caregiver goes a long way in ensuring your child develops cognitively while still interacting with his environment. Therefore, it is advisable to get quality child care in Fremantle.