How important are quality teaching programs in early childhood development?

What a child learns in his/her earliest years in school help mold their brains for future lessons and experiences. Because of this, it is crucial that the schools and programs children are put into are stimulating, enriching, and educational according to their age. In her article “Teachers' Daily Interactions With Children: An Essential Ingredient in Effective Early Childhood Programs”, Bridget K. Hamre says, "To support positive development, early childhood settings must include responsive and cognitively stimulating daily interactions between teachers and children” (2014, pg 223).

In order to help children grow in many aspects of their lives, good teachers are necessary. But what makes a good teacher? A good teacher is attentive, caring, understanding, organized and can resolve situations of agitation quickly and as smoothly as possible.

Hamre makes a point that there must be a good relationship between teachers and students. She says, “Responsive teachers are highly engaged with children, attuned to their cues and needs, and able to respond in individualized ways that foster social, behavioral, and academic development” (Hamre, 2014 pg. 224). Teachers who pay attention to behavioral and cognitive cues are more likely to respond better to each child’s individual needs. For example, a child who is known to physically act out may show signs before doing so such as change in mood or reddening of the face. Teachers can pick up on these things and prevent situations of irritation. Furthermore, children who lack in cognitive abilities may need additional help from teacher, such as one-on-one attention. In these cases, teachers should take whatever steps necessary to see that the child gets a sufficient amount of assistance and has the opportunity to succeed academically.

Preschool is a crucial time and experience for children’s socialization. Having positive relationships with teachers and other students can help children gain social and emotional skills. It is critical for children to learn emotional regulation for when they face situations later in their lives that may be traumatic or distressful. When teachers are caring, warm, and comfortable around their students, it promotes an emotionally safe environment. When children are stressed about things at school or even at home and it can inhibit their grades, motivations, and goals in school, so it is important that teachers must provide emotional support.

Additionally, classrooms that are well-organized help children succeed academically and behaviorally because they feel more controlled. When it comes to a teacher’s basic job – instructing – they should be aware of certain goals they are aiming for. Teachers should be aiming to help the kids gain higher order thinking. They should promote an open dialogue with students and encourage conversations to not only improve teacher-student relationships, but also foster better communication skills. Teachers should give frequent and positive feedback when correcting students academically and behaviorally. If there is miscommunication or disputing between children or child and teacher, it should be handled as calmly and effectively as possible. Teachers should take all of these things into consideration in order to ensure that their students are on the best path for development.

Furthermore, for the most overall success for children, early education should take place in a stimulating and enriching environment that focuses on the needs of the children, not the teachers. Teachers should constantly try to get students involved and engaged in activities throughout each day. Additionally, Hamre mentions something that may be important to note, “Teachers may interact with children so infrequently because they believe that materials and peers are more important for learning than interacting with adults” (2014, pg. 225). Children who interact more with their teachers are bound to learn how to better speak to and act around adults and authority figures. They can learn manners and respect as well as communication and language skills.

Lastly, Hamre’s notes, “Despite recent examples of effective curricula being used at large scale in research studies (Morris et al., 2014), few early childhood programs use evidence-based, developmentally focused curricula (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2014) and more work is needed to understand how to put these types of curricula into practice” (2014, 227). Although these types of programs have been proven effective, they are not being implemented as often as they should be. Further, the balance between teacher and environment is crucial in itself. Teachers must be engaging and responsive or else the environment cannot reach its full potential. Conversely, if teachers are willing to put in a lot of effort, but the environment is lacking the proper stimulation and education because of funding or just lack of care, it is difficult for teachers to be totally helpful.

Overall, children with teachers who are more responsive develop better academically, emotionally, socially, and behaviorally. The things these kids learn in these early years can provide them with certain skills needed later in life in various situations they may encounter. The purpose of preschooling is to not only prepare the children to transition into higher level education later on, but also give them skills that will help them develop well in many aspects of their lives that extend past academics – particularly important, socio-emotional and behavioral skills. Having programs that are successful and effective in rendering these skills is essential to early childhood development; therefore, they should be taken seriously and implemented more often.

Hamre, B. K. (2014). Teachers' Daily Interactions With Children: An Essential Ingredient in Effective Early Childhood Programs. Child Development Perspectives, 8(4), 223-230. doi:10.1111/cdep.12090