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Early Childhood Education - Coggle Diagram
Early Childhood Education
Preschool Programs for economically disadvantaged
Head start
Why Head Start Matters
Children from low-income families often start school without key academic readiness skills.
Preschool education is a government strategy to help break the cycle of poverty.
Effectiveness of Head Start Programs
No two programs are identical, making it dicult to generalize their eectiveness.
- [ ] High-quality programs (following NAEYC, CAYC, Health Canada guidelines) show strong benefits:
Better school performance (Lazar & Darlington, 1982; Zigler & Styfco, 1994).
Lower rates of grade repetition and special education placement.
Higher high school graduation rates.
Long-term benefits include cost savings on special education and welfare, as well as improved quality of life.
Head Start in Indigenous Communities
Successful Indigenous early childhood programs follow best practices, as outlined by the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society.
Effectiveness varies—programs often need adjustment to align with community needs (Terbasket & Greenwood, 2007).
Best Practices for Indigenous Early Childhood Education
Respectful, caring relationships with the environment.
Cooperative, non-competitive learning approaches.
Elder involvement in education.
Holistic development (culturally appropriate curriculum and assessment).
Teaching Indigenous languages.
Aboriginal worldview integrated into learning.
Strong family relationships and preparation for future responsibilities.
Inclusive of all children (regardless of ability or talent).
Multi-age grouping to reflect traditional learning.
Respect for child-care workers.
Aboriginal-led research and governance to ensure accountability.
Collaboration across support networks to strengthen programs.
Regulatory compliance under Aboriginal administrative bodies.
Using Visual Media to Educate
Can Television Be Educational?
Since 1969, educational television has aimed to teach preschoolers essential skills (letters, numbers, vocabulary).
Sesame Street is the gold standard, with research showing:
Preschoolers who watch it perform better academically than those who don’t (Bogatz & Ball, 1972).
Frequent viewers at age 3 have larger vocabularies by age 5 (Rice et al., 1990).
Meta-analyses confirm its eectiveness, especially in vocabulary and phonological development (Hurwitz, 2019).
Television & Prosocial Behavior
Shows like Mr. Dress-Up promote kindness and cooperation (Huston & Wright, 1998).
Prosocial media has a stronger impact on behavior than violent media (Hearold, 1986).
Limitations: Fewer prosocial shows exist, Children may prefer more engaging, less prosocial content, Newer media forms (e.g., immersive violent content) need more research (Chen et al., 2023).
Criticism of Educational TV
Attention Span Concerns
Lazy Thinking & Creativity
Physical & Social Downsides
Varieties
Schooling
Daycare: For child care while parents work
Preschool: Focuses on intellectual, social, emotional growth.
Full day kindergarten: Ontario uses play-based learning with structured assessments.
Child-focused: Develops physical, cognitive, social, emotional skills through play.
Academic Programs: Follow a structured curriculum with clear instructions.
Culture
Chinese parents: prioritize academic preparation
North American parents: prioritize all aspects of education.
Japanese parents: Prioritize learning group harmony.
Piagets Influence
Kids construct knowledge through discovery
Teachers should create hands on experience
Best learning happens slightly ahead of Childs current ability
Encouraging self correction helps kids refine their thinking
Guidelines for Effective Preschool Programs
NAEYC/ CAYC promotes developmentally appropriate practices
CAYC emphasizes play as essential for children’s growth