Early Childhood Development

Neurological research shows that the early years play a key role in children’s brain development.

Babies begin to learn about the world around them from a very early age – including during the prenatal,
perinatal (immediately before and after birth) and postnatal period.

Children’s early experiences – the bonds they form with their parents and their first learning experiences
– deeply affect their future physical, cognitive, emotional and social development.

Optimizing the early years of children’s lives is the best investment we can make as a society in ensuring
their future success.

Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education is a broad term used to describe any type of educational program that serves
children in their preschool years, before they are old enough to enter kindergarten. Early childhood
education may consist of any number of activities and experiences designed to aid in the cognitive and
social development of preschoolers before they enter elementary school.

What is early intervention?

Early intervention means doing things as early as possible to work on your child’s developmental, health
and support needs.

Early intervention services give specialised support to children and families in the early years (from birth
to school entry). This support might include special education, therapy, counselling, service planning and
help getting universal services like kindergarten and child care.

Why diagnosis is important

Early intervention works best when it’s targeted at your child’s individual needs. For this to happen, you
need a diagnosis, which says what disability your child has.

Milestones
When we talk about child development, we often speak of milestones that children hit at certain ages.
So what exactly are these milestones? A developmental milestone is an ability that is achieved by most
children by a certain age. Developmental milestones can involve physical, social, emotional, cognitive,
and communication skills such as walking, sharing with others, expressing emotions, recognizing familiar
sounds, and talking.
Why Are Developmental Milestones Important?

For example, between the ages of 9 to 12 months, children begin to achieve physical milestones such as
standing up or even walking. While the exact age at which a child achieves a particular milestone can
vary, parents may become concerned if their child has not achieved a skill that most of his or her same-
age peers
can perform.
If a child has
not learned
to walk by
18 months,
for example,
the parents
should
consult
their child's
doctor.
Importance of Early Development
The early years of a child’s life are very important for his or her health and development. Healthy
development means that children of all abilities, including those with special health care needs, are able
to grow up where their social, emotional and educational needs are met. Having a safe and loving home
and spending time with family―playing, singing, reading, and talking―are very important. Proper
nutrition, exercise, and sleep also can make a big difference.

HISTORY OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

According to Pre-K Now, the concept of early childhood education started with a European mother in the
early 1800’s that educated children outside of their homes. The idea came to America during the
Industrial Revolution with “infant schools” set up in churches, factories, and private homes to care for
the young while parents were working. The state of Wisconsin created constitutional amendments to
include committees dedicated to free education of children aged four to twenty in 1848 and then later,
in 1873, started the first four year old kindergarten program.

As time progressed, other states began to follow Wisconsin’s lead in the area of early childhood
education with preschools, day care centers, and nursery programs starting across the country. In 1926,
the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) was established dedicated to
improving the well-being of all young children and focusing on the quality of education and
developmental services offered to children from birth to the age of eight.
Head Start, founded in 1965 as a program through the United States Department of Health and Human
Services, was originally founded to ready low-income children over the summer months for upcoming
kindergarten. Over the years, Head Start has become a respected preschool aged program found in many
communities working with children of all backgrounds and abilities.