5 Reasons Why Early Childhood Education Needs Transformation

Early childhood education is the most significant part of the entire education system from the point of view of a student, and, ironically, the transformation-related intervention started in this area very recently.

If we look at the positive aspects that have taken place in the last couple of years, one of the most significant ones is the introduction of a formal policy level framework and recognition of early childhood education. The government, being a major stakeholder in the transformation of early childhood education, has done its part.

Now, the ball is in the court of the other stakeholders, such as educators, founders of early childhood education institutes, and parents, to take this journey ahead.

Before we jump to conclusions and start highlighting the initiatives that need to be taken in this area, we need to understand "deeply" why early childhood education needs transformation.

1) Change in the Environment: The world is witnessing a change in the overall environment, be it social, business, entrepreneurial, or technology. This leads us towards a new dimension which includes a change in overall thinking while designing the development methods, processes related to caregiving, interaction with parents, etc.

2) Change in Expectations: Parents of today's era are very well aware of the role of education in shaping their children's lives. They have access to the globe at their fingertips. They want to provide nothing less than the best-in-class experience for their children, so gone are those days when parents will settle for anything less than excellent in any aspect. This expectation must be catered to in every aspect, such as overall approach, development methods, teachers' role, support staff’s involvement, and activities that can be planned.

3) Future Needs: The buzzword "Future Ready" has an impact on early childhood education to some extent. What it means is that earlier, if not the goal, but the general understanding of early childhood education was either to engage a child in a "play" or to prepare for primary school because it was thought that early childhood education starts from primary, but now the understanding of what needs to be developed in early childhood days has been very well clarified both at the policy level and the individual level.

4) Change in Focus: Earlier, the focus of early childhood education was not very formally defined in any way, and therefore this segment of education remained unorganized for a very long time. Now, this segment has become very focused, and with the introduction of blended development methodologies, this sector has gained a lot of focus.

5) Availability of Quality Early Childhood Developers and Educators: Due to policy level introduction and other related aspects, there is a huge demand for specialized professionals in this field. However, the process of development of such professionals also needs to be transformed accordingly. There is a need to develop a specific curriculum not just for the educators and caregivers but for everyone who is involved in the entire process because at the early childhood education level, it is about providing experience to the children in everything that they encounter right from the point they step out of their home for the first time.

In the end, I would like to conclude that people who are passionate about early childhood education should come forward and inspire others by taking initiatives and establishing early childhood education as a much-specialized segment of education.

If people who are passionate about this cause come forward, it will not only improve the quality of education, but it will have a larger impact on the overall quality of the education system because in the chain of the education system, early childhood education is the starting point, and I am glad today we are talking about and taking action to strengthen it.

Author: Ritesh Rawal, Founder of Dudes & Dolls World, Adhyay School, and Ritesh Rawal Foundation