Blog 3. The importance of early childhood education.

When I chose to study pedagogy in early childhood education I did not think I would find so much learning, about children, about families, even about society in general. 

I realized that a career in early childhood can be very rewarding, as it provides the opportunity to influence and shape the lives of young children and their families. Early childhood education equips children with the skills and capacity to be effective and engaged learners through school and beyond. It is an important time in children’s lives because it is when they first learn how to interact with others, including peers, teachers, and parents, and also begin to develop interests that will stay with them throughout their lives.

The UNESCO says early childhood care and education is more than preparation for primary school. It aims at the holistic development of a child’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical needs in order to build a solid and broad foundation for lifelong learning and wellbeing.  Has the possibility to nurture caring, capable and responsible future citizens. 

It’s a common misperception that early childhood education is only about learning basic skills. It’s so much more than that, It’s a time when children learn critical social and emotional skills, and a partnership is formed between the child, their parents, and the teacher. When this is done successfully, it lays the groundwork for it to continue throughout the child’s education.

Also, another thing that I love about this career is learning new things, working with children is a huge learning experience. No one child is the same and even though some of the things you cover in your qualifications can seem a bit outdated (like theories, etc.), it doesn’t mean you can’t take on a new perspective towards them. So there is always so much to learn