Types of Curriculum Childcare Centers Use
Although some child care centers provide merely a safe place for children to spend the day while their parents are working, many of these places also provide educational opportunities. Childcare center curricula are most often based on some of the popular early childhood education models that are used in preschools; in fact, they are actually preschools.
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Childcare Vs. Preschool
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Although many people believe that a childcare center is mostly a daycare and a preschool is an educational facility, the lines have become blurred. Any childcare center that offers a learning environment for the children who attend can be considered a preschool. These preschool and childcare centers often use the same type of curriculum options.
Early Childhood Education Models
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While there are many different theories on how to best educate young children, a few models have become the best known in childcare centers today. Each of these provides a curriculum or a basis for the curriculum that the center's director and teachers use in the education of their charges. The most common models encountered today are the Montessori, the Reggio Emilia, High Scope and Waldorf.
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Montessori
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The Montessori curriculum is based on the model developed by Marie Montessori, and focuses on material-driven learning. In the Montessori approach, play is directed toward developing life skills rather than imaginative play. Children are taught to be self-sufficient. Materials provided in the classroom are expected to dictate the child's activities. This method usually has various learning stations and activities throughout the room for the children to choose from.
Reggio Emilia
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The Reggio Emilia curriculum approaches learning from more creative and child driven angle. In this curriculum model, activities are chosen based on the child's interests. The teachers follow the child's lead and develop learning tasks around the things the child is showing an interest in. Creativity and imaginative play are encouraged and supported.
High Scope
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This model has a strong focus on skills that the child needs to build. Classifying and sorting are common activities used in this model. The child takes the lead in determining what activity interests them, but the teachers are prepared to move the activity forward. The teacher and child determine the activity together.
Waldorf
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This model of childcare education focuses on free, creative play and discourages the use of television. It is a designed to make the child feel at home and comfortable to allow them to explore and play freely. The curriculum focuses on developing what are believed to be the three aspects of each child: spirit, body and soul.
Other models
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There are many other models for early childhood education, all of which have their proponents. These include the Bank Street method, which is also child driven but focused on social development; the developmentally appropriate method, which bases activities on developmental level; and various religious curricula. Additionally, many childcare centers draw on multiple models to create their curriculum.
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References
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