EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION term papers and essays pg.3

Early childhood education is the teaching of young children outside a home setting by people other than their own families. The age which early childhood covers differs from one setting to the next, although under five years of age is the norm in the majority of countries. Growth and development occurs rapidly during these early years and much emphasis is put on developing the child's self-esteem, personality and social behavior to ensure that he or she reaches maximum potential. Pre-school education and kindergarten cover the education of children between the ages of 3 and 6 years. Many colleges offer early childhood education certification, which teaches basic courses in child growth and development, early childhood curriculums and communications. An early childhood education degree qualifies the teacher to work with young children in a classroom setting, from infancy and up until the age of 8 years. The early childhood educator focuses on the academic, social, emotional and physical education of her students in his age group and protects and cares for the child in the absence of the primary caregiver. Organizations such as the National Child Development Associate (CDA) program over competency-based assessment systems which train early childhood educations.