Essentials of Developmentally Appropriate Preschool Education
Stacie J. Clayton: Head of School
The foundation of a child’s security is dependent on the love and nurture of caregivers from birth. Preschool is an opportunity for children to be ‘parented’ in an educational setting. This transition to a new setting with other adults and children is an important one, as it can shape a child’s ability to trust, connect, and grow in independence and interdependence. The easiest transition for young children is an environment that closely matches the feel, character, and values of a home. It is worthwhile, then, to look for a preschool environment that mimics the home: filled with love, warmth, and joy. Positive, supportive relationships are important in the early years to support cognitive development and healthy attachments.
Specifically, children who experience high-quality, stable child care engage in more complex play, demonstrate more secure attachments to
adults and other children, and score higher onof thinking ability and language development. High quality child care can predict
academic success, adjustment to school, and reduced behavioral problems for children in
first grade (Howes, C., Relations Between Early Child Care and Schooling).
adults and other children, and score higher onof thinking ability and language development. High quality child care can predict
academic success, adjustment to school, and reduced behavioral problems for children in
first grade (Howes, C., Relations Between Early Child Care and Schooling).
The physical environment is fairly obvious when you enter a school. Health and safety is one of the basic provisions one would expect in a preschool setting. Programs should have a written policy concerning illnesses, toileting, allergies, pest control and other hazards that is available for parents to review. Programs should have a clear routine and schedule with visual cues for children. Classrooms should be divided into learning areas or centers that are supplied with materials that are within the reach of children so that they can access them independently throughout the day.
Staff should be available to answer parent questions about the content of the curriculum, how they handle behaviors, and the amount of supervision available. The Early Education and Care Department requires a ratio of one teacher to ten students in a preschool classroom for ages 3 – 5 year olds. However, younger children benefit from more supervision, particularly when toileting needs are still being attended to. A parent should be assured that there is sufficient staff to be able to engage with each student in the classroom throughout the day.
It is also important to find out if the preschool has a clear emphasis on hiring qualified teachers and on professional development. Professional teachers give age-appropriate and achievable tasks to children, and incorporate materials and curriculum to satisfy their individual needs, interests, and strengths. Helping children recognize their intellectual capacity should be an important focus for a preschool. All learning is interconnected and trained teachers can design activities for children that hit several learning domains. Teachers should understand the sequence of learning and the ways children learn best, so they can scaffold learning. As children grow in their development, they will move from understanding the physical things they observe to a deeper knowledge of symbolic and representational thinking.
Professional teachers should understand play as it relates to learning. Teachers can utilize play to teach many concepts while encouraging children to explore materials freely and joyfully. Through play, children spend a lot of time learning how to be a part of a team and how to reason and solve complex problems. This is an essential skill that will be helpful throughout their lives.
Socialization and language development are probably some of the most important skills preschoolers learn to prepare them for Kindergarten readiness. Healthy emotional development is also essential in preschool programs as children have to learn the skill of understanding and controlling their own feelings and think of the feelings of others. As a child’s vocabulary increases they can move from expressing their emotional state in words, rather than through their bodies or crying.
Preschool settings should have daily opportunities for gross and fine motor activity. Children’s physical development takes off at this age and movement is necessary for their balance, coordination, physical, and cognitive development. Creative expression, like music and dance, is fun for them and enables them to discover otherwise hidden talents. Dramatizations can help bring stories alive and keep children interested
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) defines a high-quality preschool program as one that uses developmentally appropriate practice:
A high-quality early childhood program is one that provides a safe and nurturing environment that promotes the physical, social, emotional, aesthetic, intellectual, and language development of each child while being sensitive to the needs and preferences of families.
Reflective practice, observation and assessments, physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and language/literacy development are all essential in a quality preschool program. However, one must not neglect the spiritual development component if one is to attend to the whole child. Spiritual Development helps children with self-identity and a sense of belonging, as they learn their relationship with God, loved ones, the community, and their environment. One’s spirit is very much a part of you from birth and requires intentional nurture as well. Children who have a strong spiritual foundation will understand the responsibility we all share in taking care of each other and our world.
A preschool that exposes children to a diverse environment and encourages the inclusion of cultural and religious traditions is not just a plus, but a necessity in today’s global environment. When schools welcome parent participation, rather than resist it, it shows they value the enrichment that diversity brings and recognizes what is meaningful to the children they serve. Culture and language can be introduced in classrooms to help English language learners, and validate each child’s experiences. The cultural composition of the staff is often a good indicator of a school’s commitment to diversity.
Staff should be available to answer parent questions about the content of the curriculum, how they handle behaviors, and the amount of supervision available. The Early Education and Care Department requires a ratio of one teacher to ten students in a preschool classroom for ages 3 – 5 year olds. However, younger children benefit from more supervision, particularly when toileting needs are still being attended to. A parent should be assured that there is sufficient staff to be able to engage with each student in the classroom throughout the day.
It is also important to find out if the preschool has a clear emphasis on hiring qualified teachers and on professional development. Professional teachers give age-appropriate and achievable tasks to children, and incorporate materials and curriculum to satisfy their individual needs, interests, and strengths. Helping children recognize their intellectual capacity should be an important focus for a preschool. All learning is interconnected and trained teachers can design activities for children that hit several learning domains. Teachers should understand the sequence of learning and the ways children learn best, so they can scaffold learning. As children grow in their development, they will move from understanding the physical things they observe to a deeper knowledge of symbolic and representational thinking.
Professional teachers should understand play as it relates to learning. Teachers can utilize play to teach many concepts while encouraging children to explore materials freely and joyfully. Through play, children spend a lot of time learning how to be a part of a team and how to reason and solve complex problems. This is an essential skill that will be helpful throughout their lives.
Socialization and language development are probably some of the most important skills preschoolers learn to prepare them for Kindergarten readiness. Healthy emotional development is also essential in preschool programs as children have to learn the skill of understanding and controlling their own feelings and think of the feelings of others. As a child’s vocabulary increases they can move from expressing their emotional state in words, rather than through their bodies or crying.
Preschool settings should have daily opportunities for gross and fine motor activity. Children’s physical development takes off at this age and movement is necessary for their balance, coordination, physical, and cognitive development. Creative expression, like music and dance, is fun for them and enables them to discover otherwise hidden talents. Dramatizations can help bring stories alive and keep children interested
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) defines a high-quality preschool program as one that uses developmentally appropriate practice:
A high-quality early childhood program is one that provides a safe and nurturing environment that promotes the physical, social, emotional, aesthetic, intellectual, and language development of each child while being sensitive to the needs and preferences of families.
Reflective practice, observation and assessments, physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and language/literacy development are all essential in a quality preschool program. However, one must not neglect the spiritual development component if one is to attend to the whole child. Spiritual Development helps children with self-identity and a sense of belonging, as they learn their relationship with God, loved ones, the community, and their environment. One’s spirit is very much a part of you from birth and requires intentional nurture as well. Children who have a strong spiritual foundation will understand the responsibility we all share in taking care of each other and our world.
A preschool that exposes children to a diverse environment and encourages the inclusion of cultural and religious traditions is not just a plus, but a necessity in today’s global environment. When schools welcome parent participation, rather than resist it, it shows they value the enrichment that diversity brings and recognizes what is meaningful to the children they serve. Culture and language can be introduced in classrooms to help English language learners, and validate each child’s experiences. The cultural composition of the staff is often a good indicator of a school’s commitment to diversity.
