Educational Management in Early Childhood Education

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Table of Contents

Abstract
Major Concerns of Contemporary Educators
Caregivers’ Leadership
Focus on Standards in Childhood Education
Curriculum
Assessment
Conclusion
Reference List

Abstract

The crucial role of early childhood education has been discussed for several decades. The present paper dwells upon this issue. Educators of many countries claim that early childhood education requires specific attention as it is the necessary background for children’s development.

Thus, it has been acknowledged that educators, scholars and officials should focus on the development of effective leadership among educators. Apart from this, setting particular standards is proved to be crucial, too. The paper deals with the importance of leadership and possible ways of its development. The present paper also reveals certain ways to set standards. Such fields as curriculum and assessment are considered.

Major Concerns of Contemporary Educators

It is important to note that early childhood education has become one of the major focuses of educators in developed as well as developing countries. For instance, Lee & Hayden (2009) report that “the global pre-primary gross enrolment ratio grew from 33% to 40% between 1999 and 2005” (p. 3).

Now educators have acknowledged the exclusive role of early childhood education which is regarded as the basis for future development of individuals. At present many approaches are being suggested and discussed in different countries. However, it is possible to single out major trends in this field.

Educators stress the importance of leadership on behalf of caregivers (Gestwicki & Bertrand, 2011). Apart from this, educators advocate the necessity to work out certain standards in childhood education (Deiner, 2009). These are two major concerns discussed by contemporary educators. It is essential to address the issues mentioned above to develop various management strategies in the sphere of early childhood education.

Caregivers’ Leadership

There have been many studies on leadership in various fields. It is but natural that leadership is also vital in early childhood education management. Gestwicki and Bertrand (2011) claim that early childhood educators have to create specific environment to develop team work.

First, principals or caregivers need to be aware of the latest findings in the field to be able to exploit new techniques and strategies in their nurseries, centres, etc. Caregivers should also be able to encourage their staff to develop new ways and approaches and come up with innovative ideas.

It is also important to involve parents in the process. Gestwicki and Bertrand (2011) stress that caregivers should create the necessary environment to develop effective teams consisting of parents, educators, etc. More so, it can be even more effective to expand the team work and make communities involved in the process (“The Early Years Framework”, 2008). This involvement will contribute greatly to developing of deeper understanding of specific needs to be addressed.

Leadership can have two vectors. On one hand, leaders will inspire their staff to develop their techniques and approaches. Leaders will guide novice as well as experienced educators to address new challenges. On the other hand, leaders can and should address authorities to develop new ways of collaboration.

The collaboration should not be confined to funding only. Authorities can help educators develop the sphere of early childhood education. This collaboration can also result in developing new ways to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood education among people: to attract young specialists, to educate parents, etc.

Focus on Standards in Childhood Education

Apart from effective leadership, educators have acknowledged the necessity to set specific standards in the field. Notably, Deiner (2009) singles out several areas to set specific standards. Apart from focus area concerning children, the researcher also depicts focus areas concerning teaching staff, family and community partnerships, leadership and administration (Deiner, 2009, p. 87).

It is necessary to note that this is a very comprehensive approach that covers the most important areas. However, it is important to point out that the major concern of contemporary educators is development of standards in the area concerned with children.

Curriculum

Some educators insist on the exclusive role of curriculum (New & Cochran, 2008; Deiner, 2009). It is accepted that children should be taught through playing and various entertainment activities. However, many educators point out that the plays should be designed to address specific issues and cover particular topics.

For instance, New and Cochran (2008) suggest that the curriculum should cover the following topics: the “child and his/her body”, the “child and his/her psyche”, the “child and the other”, “the child and the society” and the “child and the world” (p. 1047). It is necessary to note that this curriculum does address major educational goals. Children learn about the world around them and they are also taught to find their place in this world. Admittedly, this is very important for further development of the child.

Assessment

As has been mentioned above, educators agree that children should learn while playing interesting games. However, it has also been acknowledged that the practice of ignoring assessment is rather wrongful (Dowling & O’Malley, 2009). The researchers note that it is important to assess children’s performance and progress.

This will enable educators to develop specific approaches to different groups of children. Assessment can help educators accumulate the necessary data to research peculiarities of early childhood education. More so, such kind of assessment will help educators work out effective curricula to meet particular educational goals.

Notably, the necessity of standardized assessment does not exclude approaches used at present. For instance, assessment can be held in the form of an interesting game as well. There is no need to expose children to test-based settings. There are various techniques to detect certain gaps in knowledge while playing with a child.

Nonetheless, educators single out certain downsides of assessment (Dowling & O’Malley, 2009). For instance, the researchers note that it can be rather difficult to measure standardized assessments based on some plays. Apart from this it can be difficult to avoid bias. Finally, Dowling and O’Malley (2009, p. 11) point out that “labelling children too early is counter-productive”. However, points mentioned cannot be regarded as crucial as advantages of assessment are much more significant.

Conclusion

Early educational management has acquired a lot of attention on the part of educators and authorities. The major concerns of educators are developing caregivers’ leadership and setting specific standards. Admittedly, these two spheres require special attention as there can be no single solution to the issues discussed.

It is important to note that educators will be able to significantly improve the sphere of early childhood education if they work out particular ways to develop leadership and set specific standards, which can be applicable in specific settings (country, area, community). It is also important to remember that leadership plays a vital role in this process. Thus, educators have already come up with numerous effective approaches to address the issues.

Reference List

Deiner, P.L. (2009). Inclusive early childhood education: Development, resources, and practice. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.

Dowling, A., & O’Malley, K. (2009). Preschool education in Australia. Web.

Gestwicki, C., & Bertrand, J. (2011). Essentials of early childhood education. Toronto, ON: Cengage Learning.

Lee, Y., & Hayden, M. (2009). Early childhood care and education: Worldwide challenges and progresses. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 11, 3-5. Web.

New, R.S., & Cochran, M. (2008). Early childhood education: The countries. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group.

The early years framework. (2008). Web.

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