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Today's Child
young children with a curriculum more
suitable to older students is entirely
counter-productive,” Eagle says.
When looking for an early learning
campus, parents should search for a
school that is not only aesthetically
pleasing but, more importantly, where
the child’s well-being is placed at the
forefront.
“Young children learn best when
provided with opportunities to ‘play’ –
where they can explore, discover, and
experiment in order to make sense of
the world around them. The school
and the teachers need to be cognisant
of this and facilitate the child’s
personal learning journey through
careful observations and by providing
meaningful and relevant learning
opportunities.”
Other things to look out for
when searching for the right ECD
environment for your child, include:
they will send their young child from
next year, and they will have to do • Teachers who are appropriately
their homework carefully to ensure the qualified to teach in an early
school they choose approaches ECD learning environment;
from a child-led learning perspective.
This will ensure that the child starts • Teachers who have a caring
their academic journey appropriately and positive disposition;
for their age, that they build strong • A place where the child is
foundations, and that they have viewed as competent and
positive associations with going to capable;
school.
• A place where there is a strong
“Schools have different programmes sense of community, where
and approaches, and parents may be teaching is engaging, relevant
seduced by the idea of sending their and interactive; and
child to a strictly academically-focused
ECD institution which will turn their • A place where the school
little one into a mini Einstein before they follows a positive discipline
even head to big school. However, these policy – where children
good intentions are likely to fall flat, as are guided positively and
this is not the correct age-appropriate supported as they develop their
approach,” says Lynda Eagle, Academic social and self-regulation skills.
Advisor at ADvTECH Schools.
“For parents who may be concerned
For pre-schoolers, there are 5 key areas about the ability of schools to adapt
of development: to the new paradigm, they can be
reassured that the inclusion of the
he transition of Early • gross motor skills, for example
Childhood Development crawling, jumping or running; younger years into their programmes is
(ECD) from the Department doable if the right approach is followed.
Tof Social Development to the • fine motor skills, such as
Department of Basic Education is now writing and drawing; Approaches to teaching and learning
in full swing, and will change how in the early years – such as the Reggio
the academic development of young • speech and language; Emilia approach – are well documented
children is approached in South Africa. • cognitive and intellectual skills, and provide schools with prime
The transition will become effective such as counting or identifying examples of best practice. Here, the
from 2023, and among the changes shapes; emphasis is not on equipping a school
that will be introduced by the move, with expensive resources, but rather
is the obligation on parents to send • social and emotional skills, connecting the student with natural
their children to school from Grade 00, such as playing and interacting elements in meaningful ways, with rich
as opposed to school attendance only with other children. learning experiences, and helping the
being compulsory from Grade 1, which school to reimagine and repurpose
has been the case until now. “The early years are exceptionally available materials – resulting in rich
important, but learning should as far learning opportunities and possibilities,”
Parents now need to consider where as possible be play-based. Bombarding Eagle concludes.
40 DPL issue 5 2022