Why is Early Childhood Education important?

Early childhood education is important because during their first three years of life children's brains are developing connections. If the right connections are not nurtured and don't form, the potential to develop those connections is lost forever.

"Early child education", however, does not necessarily have to mean placing children three and under in a formal program. The mother, who can devote individual attention to her child, may be better able to nurture that child's emotional/intellectual development if she is a mother who has excellent parenting skills. Often, however, there are mothers who don't understand what it takes to nurture a child's development properly. This is when children will benefit from being in an early childhood education program.

Many mothers have knowledge of feeding their babies, getting them to sleep, or teaching them skills like recognizing letters, numbers, and colors but may lack skill when it comes to teaching toddlers personal/social behaviors, such as knowing how to wait one's turn, having some self-control, following simple directions/rules, or leaving mom's side. Early childhood education can help the toddlers of mothers who don't have a sufficient understanding of brain development/mental maturity (beyond just learning the ABC's and counting).

Regardless of the skill level of their mother, however, when healthy children of normal development reach about four years of age they often express a wish to expand their world out beyond their own home, parents, and siblings. Particularly mature three-year-olds may also express this wish/need. While children under three or just three are usually absolutely delighted to just be with their mother all the time (talking, playing, going places), as they approach four their social needs begin to become apparent.

In other words, three-year-olds may not be too aware that there's a world beyond the one they share with their mother; four-year-olds are well aware of the bigger world, other children with whom they can play, and reason to want to be out in that bigger world. This is when some type of preschool program can serve the purpose of offering the child activities that are appropriate for his/her level of emotional/social development.