Informatics Publishing Limited

D. Mythri ¹, M. S. Rajalakshmi ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Human Development, SMT.VHD Central Institute of Home Science, Bangalore, IN

Abstract

The first five years of life are critical to a child's lifelong development. Young children's earliest experiences and environments set the stage for future development and success in school and life. Early experiences actually influence brain development, establishing the neural connections that provide the foundation for language, reasoning, problem solving, social skills, behaviour and emotional health. Catering to these need are many different types of preschools -- from parochial (run by churches) to private institutions -- all with their own curriculums and schedule of activities. Each of these preschools addresses various areas of a child's development, such as motor skills, social and emotional development, oral language, phonological skills and math concepts. However, there is a lack of evidence of the effects of these curricula on children's formal school 'readiness'. The lack of such information is worrying, as children's early performance in both academic and social domains has been associated with later academic and social outcomes as they make the transition from preschool to formal instruction in kindergarten and first grade (Downer & Pianta 2006; Miles & Stipek 2006). While there's a lot of opportunity for children to create and let their imaginations run far, this education is still a structured experience. In addition some schools fall short of providing this much needed ideal culture for children at this age. Thus it is vitally important to sustain gains and benefits provided by Early Childhood Care and Education and to ensure that they are not wasted, diminished or eliminated by subsequent inappropriate action or inaction. Continuity and linkages must be maintained, so that success in reducing failures and drop outs will be achieved. Against this background a closer look must be taken at the readiness of children for schooling. Therefore the authors are presenting this concept paper.

Keywords

Pre-School, Readiness, Curriculum, Early Childhood Education.

Full Text

     

D. Mythri ¹, M. S. Rajalakshmi ¹, K. P. Suresh ²

Affiliations
1 Department of Human Development- Research Center, Smt. VHD Central Institute of Home Science, Bangalore, IN
2 NIVEDI,Yelahanka, Bangalore, IN

Abstract

The space and furnishings in an early learning centre should stimulate all aspects of children's development in a variety of ways, The way in which the environment is set up will influence how children respond to their environment and the kinds of activites they will engage in, and will thus influence their development. Space and Furnishings are one of the most vital consideration as it determines the comfort level of children as well as encourages their productivity and creativity in learning and growing. A meaningful environment has spaces with assigned purposes. In early learning centres space plays many different roles- it is to play, eat and sleep. It is also a place for children to belong and learn. A review of literature indicates that in the past ten years, there has been growing research and study into how the physical design of child care settings affects child development. Pre-school children are expected to sit about 30% of their time during school and teenagers, ages 13-18 years old, are expected to sit about 78% of their time. Sitting occupies a large percentage of waking hours at an age when the human body is still in growth (Dillon, 1976). Thus it becomes important to consider physical design of the early learning center, to ensure cognitive, social, and emotional development (e.g., size, density, privacy, well-defined activity settings, modified open-plan space, a variety of technical design features)In addition to meeting the needs of children, caregivers/teachers require space to implement programs and facilitate interactions with children. Although each child's development is unique to that child, age groups are often used to categorize developmental needs. To meet these needs, the use of activity space for each age group will be inherently different. In the present study 8 domains of space and Furnishings namely Indoor space, Furniture for routine care, play and learning, Furniture for relaxation and comfort, Room arrangement for play, Child-related Display, space for gross motor play, Gross motor equipment and space for privacy,were investigated in 10 different types of early leaning centers in Bangalore city.

Keywords

Space, Furnishing, Play, Early Childhood.

Full Text