What Early Childhood Development and Education Programs are all about?
Whether we are thinking about families raising children or Early Childhood Centers and schools educating them the responsibility that is one of the most important responsibilities we have as human beings: to support children’s overall development and equip them with the knowledge, skills, values and sense of self-worth to help them interact effectively with the world and be contributing members of society. Language Development and a Love of Learning
One of the most critical parts of language development is supporting children’s language development and enthusiasm for learning. Many parents, and especially parents from disadvantaged groups, underestimate the significance of their role in supporting children’s language, learning and sense of themselves. Their focus, very understandably, is often on keeping children fed, to carry out their social responsibility and ensure the physical development of their children rather than develop their children’s understanding of the world and supporting their confidence and communication skills. Surprisingly, most parents can hardly wait for their baby to say its first word, but believe that ‘language development’ implies that the child’s acquisition of language is an automatic process. This, however, is not the case. There is nothing that any human being knows or can do that s/he has not learned. This is especially true of language acquisition, which is extremely critical in enabling children to get the most in life and become productive citizens in a rapidly changing world.
The child begins to learn language from the day s/he is born. From the very first moment it is the parents’ responsibility to lay a proper foundation that will enable the child to acquire adequate language skills. Just like parents must ensure that a child follows a healthy and balanced diet for optimal physical development, they must take steps to ensure optimal language development.
Parents should start talking to their little baby from the day s/he is born. Some mothers are by nature quiet and reserved. Others have the unfortunate idea that it is foolish to talk to their babies, knowing that they do not understand. The mother, who does not speak to her child while feeding, bathing and dressing her baby, is laying the foundation for a late talker.
How Children Learn Language
The baby learns language in one way only, and that is by hearing language as the parents or other people around them talk. The more a parent can talk to a child, often repeating the same words, the same phrases, the same structures over and over, the sooner the child will learn language.
An important thing to note here is that by the time a baby is about nine months old s/he should be able to understand simple words and commands. S/he may perhaps also be able to say a few simple words already. Invariably, however, one finds that the baby understands much more than s/he is able to say. In fact, this remains so of almost every person throughout his life. One is always able to understand more of any language, even one’s mother tongue, than one is able to use in active speech. This is even more so of any second or third languages that a person is able to speak.
This shows that we have two, more or less separate, masses of language knowledge: our passive knowledge (also called receptive language), and our active on the other. When we listen or read, we make use of our passive vocabulary, and when we speak or write, we use our active vocabulary.
An important thing to note here is that the child’s passive vocabulary comes into being through constant and continual repetition of words, phrases or structures. Once a word, phrase or structure has been repeated often enough, it also becomes part of the baby’s active vocabulary. This shows that the active vocabulary can only be improved via the passive. Research has shown that a child who is just beginning to talk must hear a word about 500 times before it will become part of his active vocabulary. Long before that it will already form part of his passive vocabulary. This means that parents should create as many opportunities as possible in which their baby can hear them talk. Plessis, Susan du, “Talk Your Child Clever.” Audiblox Online Magazine (2005)
Reading for Children Program
Reading to children is one way in which language development can be facilitated. Integrating a ‘Reading for Children’ component in parenting programs can enable parents/siblings to borrow simple, illustrated story books to read to young children. This provides important benefits to young children and also links ECD and literacy/post-literacy and school support programs.
Parents’ reading to their children is a predictor of school success and access to enjoyable printed materials is highly significant for children from disadvantaged communities. Reviews have found that both parents and primary school teachers across Asia emphasize how ‘ready’ for school children with ECD experience are.
Outcomes for Older Children
Where Reading for Children programs operate a more surprising finding has been the equal enthusiasm of the older children. They are often seen not only reading to their younger siblings but also taking the books off to a quiet place to read them on their own.
Outcomes for Parents
For parents who have limited literacy, reading to their own children is an enjoyable way to make sure that they maintain their skills. The children make sure they practice (’Read it again mother’) and the materials are naturally at a suitable level (in terms of vocabulary etc) for new readers.
However, one of the most striking findings has been the way Reading for Children programs have transformed parents relationships with their children. Parents who previously had felt they could do nothing to really support their children’s overall development because of their own lack of education suddenly had very concrete evidence of what they could do. Parents report that they now talk more with their children, listen to them and take more interest in what they are doing.
