Early Child Education: Nurturing Young Minds for a Bright Future

Explanatory Essay by Arvin D. Asuero

Education has been a vital part of human development and growth. It helps and guides individuals through the tough journey of life. It helps people attain knowledge and skills necessary in making decisions. Aside from academics, education helps people obtain critical thinking, emotional understanding, and build a strong foundation in connecting with others. Throughout life, from childhood to adulthood, education serves as a guide in opening and discovering opportunities that will serve as a way in paving for personal success and societal progress as well. There are three considered stages or levels of education; Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary level. However, there is also one stage that is considered as one of the most crucial and important stages for an individual to go through, the Early Childhood Education.

Early childhood is defined as the time between birth and eight years of age, during which a child's brain is particularly sensitive to their surroundings. A unique educational strategy is needed during this period of "remarkable growth" to make sure that kids will be able to acquire the fundamental knowledge and abilities that will help them in the future. How can children be raised to become competent, compassionate, and creative adults? The only answer is to make them have a proper foundation in their early years, and this can be performed through early child education. Early childhood education is significant for developing cognitive abilities, emotional development, and social skills. By discussing its key components and benefits, this essay will discuss how delving in early learning sets a path for a brighter future.

Participating in well-designed early childhood education programs gives kids the fundamental knowledge and abilities they will need in school and in their future. Early childhood education helps young children increase their vocabulary and practice phonics and letter recognition, which helps them develop pre-reading skills. Children learn to speak because they are exposed to a rich linguistic environment even at this young age. Early math skills like counting, sorting, and form recognition can be developed in young children long before they start school. As children finally advance through school, this foundational knowledge gives them the skills they need to support themselves academically. Compared to other periods of life, a child's brain develops at the fastest rate between birth and age five. According to scientific study in 2018, a child's brain development is influenced by the quality of their early experiences, whether positive or bad, while genetics still plays a big part. and that these experiences affect their health, learning, and success in school and in life in a lasting way. At birth, the only organ that is not fully grown is the human brain, which serves as the body's command center. A baby's brain is typically only 25% the size of an adult's brain at birth. It is so large that it doubles in size in the first year and continues to develop. By the age of three, it has grown to almost 80% of its adult size, and by the age of five, it has virtually reached full maturity, having doubled in size in the first year. Moreover, in a study by Vasoya and Vansdadiya (2023), they found out that there are several strategies for promoting foundational literacy and numeracy in early childhood education. These strategies include play-based learning, teacher training and support, family and community involvement, and the use of technology. These findings offer crucial information on evidence-based methods and policies that could improve academic attainment for all kids and expand access to high-quality early childhood education.

 

Another key component of early childhood education is emotional development, which helps children build resilience and confidence in themselves. According to a study by Tominey et al. (2017), children who have greater emotional intelligence are better able to pay attention, are more engaged in school, have more pleasant relationships, and are more empathic. Monitoring one's own emotions as well as those of others, as well as using emotions to influence one's thoughts and behavior, are all components of emotional intelligence. Emotions affect our physical and mental well-being, our capacity to form relationships with others, and our attention, memory, and learning. Gaining emotional intelligence helps us efficiently control our emotions and prevent them from getting in the way of our plans, like an angry outburst (Salovey & Mayer, 1990). Additionally, strong emotional foundation reduces the risk of anxiety and behavioral challenges in later years. It is important to address young children's mental health disorders in the context of their families, homes, and communities. Young children's emotional well-being is closely related to the functioning of their caregivers and the families within which they reside. When these relationships are abusive, threatening, chronically neglectful, or much more psychologically damaging, they are a particularly powerful risk factor for the development of early mental health disorders. If, however, relationships are reliably responsive and supportive, they can actually shield young children from the effects of other stressors. So the stresses have to be decreased in the children's lives, and that goes hand in hand with decreasing the families' stresses. In this way, children can grow and at the same time enjoy their childhood.

It is also important that a child must obtain social skills and foster intrapersonal relationships. A child's personality and future relationships are greatly influenced by their social development during the early years of their life.  In a study conducted by the Unis Hanoi, early child education also promotes social development by teaching children how to interact effectively with peers and adults as well. From teaching a child how to communicate and share to build friendships and empathy, these early experiences can have a significant impact on a child's future development. As they progress through this stage, children learn important skills including communication, cooperation, and conflict resolution. Children with these skills are more expert at navigating their social surroundings, building strong relationships, and understanding their own emotions as well as those of others. 

Early childhood education serves as the cornerstone for success and lifetime learning. Children are better equipped to handle obstacles in the future from its emphasis on social, emotional, and cognitive development. It not only builds the foundation for their ability to perform in school but also allows for their emotional and social development toward thriving in life. By investing in well-structured early learning programs, society actually ensures that children can face future challenges with hope, creativity, and confidence. As research shows, the early years are a time of unparalleled growth and opportunity, where experiences and education should be such that it will have lifelong impacts. Early childhood education is a priority, and by doing so, we are not just nurturing young minds but also paving the way for a brighter and more promising future for individuals and communities at large. 

REFERENCES

American Public University. (2024, August 6). Why is early childhood education important for children? https://www.apu.apus.edu/area-of-study/education/resources/why-is-early-childhood-education-important-for-children/ 

Early childhood mental health. (2017, February 14). Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/deep-dives/mental-health/ 

Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination Cognition and Personality, 9(3), 185–211. https://doi.org/10.2190/dugg-p24e-52wk-6cdg

Social development in early childhood and how it can affect your kids. (n.d.). Latest News. https://www.unishanoi.org/about/calendar-news-and-publications/post-default/~board/news/post/social-development-in-early-childhood 

The first five years. (2018). https://files.firstthingsfirst.org/why-early-childhood-matters/the-first-five-years 

Tominey, S., O’Bryon, E., et al. (2017). Teaching emotional intelligence in early childhood. NAEYC. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/mar2017/teaching-emotional-intelligence 

Vasoya, N., & Vansdadiya, R. (2023). Effective Strategies for promoting foundational literacy and numeracy in early childhood education. Journal of Social Sciences, 19(1), 92–95. https://doi.org/10.3844/jssp.2023.92.95 

WHAT IS EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. (2022, February 15). Details. https://www.asparis.org/blog/details/~board/academics/post/what-is-early-childhood-education-1596020598964