Home  | The Importance of Quality Pre School Education 2005

“The early years are the most important time in a child’s development.” We have all heard this comment many times, however extensive research has proven that the most critical period in a child’s brain development occurs in their first six years. During this time a child learns to develop language skills and how to interact with others. They also develop skills to learn. Research by the Rand Corporation in America, shows that children in quality preschool education programmes have higher IQ’s and increased emotional and cognitive development.

 

This is the reason why quality pre-school education is so important, and why parents/caregivers must look carefully to choose the right pre school or centre for their child. There is a wide range of different pre-schools with different philosophies. It is so important to ask lots of questions when enrolling your child, to make sure you get a centre that will provide your child with the best quality education and care.

 

There are many signs of a good pre-school that are evident on arrival.

 

Children should be playing or working with materials or other children and not wandering aimlessly, nor should they be expected to sit quietly for any length of time. Children should have access to a variety of activities throughout the day, and these resources should be available to them every day. Other learning experiences are offered to the children according to the project being worked on at the time. The teachers provide projects, which are child-initiated, being developed from the children’s strengths and interests.

 

An important question to ask when enrolling your child, is what the child- adult ratio is. The regulations quote us 3 adults to 30 children in the over two years old areas, but most childcare centres have a much better child/teacher ratio than that. Recognising that teachers are your best resources, a pre-school with a higher ratio of teachers to children, enables the teachers to spend one-on-one time with your child or with smaller groups of children.

 

The role of pre school teachers is sometimes misunderstood, comments such as “why do you do so much training, just to babysit?” is an example. We do not babysit but teach the children and like primary and secondary school teachers’ work under a national early childhood curriculum, called Te Whariki. This curriculum is linked to the New Zealand Curriculum Framework. Pre-school teachers have to train for three years to gain a Diploma of teaching. At pre-school each child has an individual learning plan and profile and the goals recognised in this plan are based on the learning outcomes in Te Whariki.

 

Children and their parents should look forward to pre-school. Parents need to feel secure about leaving their children and should spend time getting to know the routines and teachers, so they are happy for their children to attend.