5 Reasons to Study Early Childhood Education

“The goal of Early Childhood Education should be to activate the child’s own natural desire to learn.” – Maria Montessori

Did you know that the majority of a child’s brain development occurs during the first five years of life and you can make a terrific difference in helping children reach their developmental milestones? Moreover, the development children have in their early years is going to have a significant impact on their entire life journey.

We are all aware that children develop from being almost entirely dependent newborns to independent, communicating individuals who can dance, sing, and tell stories in their early years. We know that the first five years of life are an extraordinary and vital part of child development.

There is a wealth of recent research proving that mental stimulation between birth to 5 years impacts cognitive development and social-emotional development for the rest of our lives. In simple terms, just as children learn languages or music better when they are at their youngest and retain this superior knowledge throughout their life, children learn better in their early years to interact, create and think independently.

Early childhood educators play a critical role in a child’s development. They inspire young minds, expose them to the joys of learning, and give them the foundation for lifelong success. If this is not enough, here are five reasons to study early childhood education.

1. Gain knowledge of developmental milestones

In this type of program, you’ll learn about the developmental milestones children make from birth until age 5. These include crawling, speaking in full sentences, and everything in between. This knowledge will help you learn to work with different age groups and how to best help them learn. In fact, the majority of a child’s brain development occurs during the first three years of life and educators can help children reach developmental milestones at different ages. There are several programs for educators and even parents to build professional knowledge about Early Years education.

2. Understand the early learning process

An early childhood education degree is a chance to learn about the specific tools that help a young child love learning, something that will benefit them the rest of their lives. The first five years of a child’s life are pivotal to their long-term success—and educators can be part of it.

3. Learn relationship-building skills

This is a unique opportunity to learn about the important relationships between parents and educational professionals, as well as the relationships between educators and other community leaders. Early childhood development professionals need to be able to work with parents to help them teach their children at home. At the same time, educators must manage relationships with community members to find the best resources and opportunities for the students.

4. Provide a hands-on learning experience

In addition to classroom work, graduates from this kind of program often gain the opportunity to provide their students with unique hands-on learning experiences. Instead of showing students colors on paper, teachers will often use other resources such as blocks, toys, sand, and water to help them learn shape, texture, colors, numbers, and elements. If you really want to interact with students in creative ways, you’ll no doubt benefit from an early childhood education program because it often focuses on hands-on learning through experiences rather than instructions.

5. Advocate for early childhood education resources and initiatives

Advocacy is an important part of any early childhood education professional’s life. Many graduates go on to improve the educational system for generations to come through work at the local, state, and national level and that’s because early childhood education professionals have the knowledge, resources, and experiences to help influence officials in ways that not many others can.

Many educational professionals who work with young children must also advocate for their students’ needs not just to governmental bodies but to non-profit organizations and other groups as well. They work to get the best resources, experiences, and ultimately the best education for their students, no matter what area they are from, who their parents are, and what type of background they come from.

Feeling inspired?

It’s no surprise that graduates with a degree in early childhood education get so excited about the many different career possibilities ahead. They know that their days will be spent not only working with young children and helping them learn what they need to know to move forward in life, but that they’ll also be truly making an impact on today’s educational system. Whether a graduate works in a traditional classroom or is employed as a tutor at a facility, that person will touch the lives of young children across the country in ways that could positively affect them forever.