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Child
Development Philosophies
All quality, professional child care programs base their curriculum
on a wide variety of principles and beliefs about the proper way children
should grow and learn. Any child care program that does not apply such
knowledge about proper child development is not maintaining professional
child care practices.
Following are characteristics of some of the more commonly found curriculum
in professional child care programs:
Curriculum Characteristics
RIE
(Resource
for Infant Educators) |
- Relative
specifically to children 0 - 2 years of age
- Environment
is tailored for the individual needs of infants
- Respect
for the feelings of each infant is the cornerstone of RIE
philosophy
- The
role of the teacher is to respond to each infant's need
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| Developmental |
-
Play is the work of young children
- Teacher's
role is to prepare the environment by offering materials
that encourage learning
- Classroom
is divided into "learning centers" (blocks, art,
music, reading, dramatic play)
- Child
has free choice of what activities they want to participate
- Developing
social skills is a primary main focus
|
| High/Scope |
- Children
learn by playing in an environment in which the teacher
has prepared broad activities
- "Plan-Do-Review"
sequence is implemented (children select and complete the
activity, then reviews the activity with the teacher)
-
Teacher encourages learning by asking thought-provoking
questions regarding children's play (i.e., The paint that
we made today looks thicker than it did yesterday. I wonder
why?
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| Montessori |
-
Children learn by using specially designed sensory materials
in a prepared environment
- Teacher's
role is to demonstrate materials to children
- Materials
are self-correcting and designed to be used in a specific
way
- There's
a focus on practical life experiences
- Independence
and self-confidence are developed through the completion
of specified task
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| Academic |
- Emphasis
on readiness skills in preparation for kindergarten
- Children
learn through repetition and practice
- A
great deal of time is spent in large groups working on specific
tasks
-
Teacher directed program
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| Recreation/Free-play |
- Unstructured
program
-
Program provides opportunities to develop social skills
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| Eclectic |
- Program
may implement one or more components from any of the above
philosophies
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Children
thrive in a wide range of settings and learn in many different ways.
It is rare when a child care program resembles the type of setting described
above. Because most early childhood educators have been exposed to a variety
of learning techniques, they are more likely to be responsive to what
best works for the children in their care. The strengths and interest
of the staff members who work with the children will play a major role
in determining what type of program is offered.
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