The first five years of a child’s life are the most important wherein their brain develops faster than at any other time in his life. A child’s early experiences – the things he sees, hears, touches, smells and tastes – stimulates his brain, creating millions of connections. This is when the foundations for learning, health and behaviour throughout life are laid down. However, a significant challenge is the lack of awareness of the benefits of a structured preschooling experience. Back in the day, most parents were comfortable sending their child to the nearest preschool, purely due to the lack of awareness on the merits of early childhood education.

But in the recent times, the thought process of parents has undergone a sea change. We now see more ‘aware’ parents who want to provide their children a superlative preschool experience and are willing to even travel distances to be able to provide the experience for them.

Laying the foundation

The expectations of parents are growing steadily and preschool establishments are working towards accomplishing higher standards of quality and facilities for the young learners. The preschools are not only working towards providing a safe, secure, clean and thought-provoking learning environment to the children, but also hiring well trained, qualified teachers who have the right approach to handling children. At EuroKids, we equip our educators with online teachers training programme Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education. Teachers are assessed through the EuroKids Teachers Assessment Test (ETAT) for continuous skill upgradation. Apart from this, regular teacher training at preschools are undertaken to equip educators to face the practical challenges at the preschool level.

Integration of technology

The emergence of technology has proved to be a turning point in the education industry. However, when it comes to early child hood education, the amount of technology that a child must be exposed to in his formative years, we believe, must be monitored closely.

With the advent of digital boards in classrooms, preschools are also taking various steps to upgrade their teaching-learning processes. With technology taking over everything so fast, it is important that children are introduced to this at an early age but in controlled manner and in right direction. Educators need to stay updated with the latest applications, to teach children in an effective and fun way. At EuroKids, we believe in providing an engaging and interactive learning environment to the child where there is a balance between digital and traditional learning.

We strive to offer a right mix of animated learning videos, documentaries and interactive games which help in creating new, powerful and effective learning experiences for the children at the preschool.

Emergent curriculum

Preschools using emergent syllabus believe that each student has unique needs and interests. Institutions are now adopting this philosophy and are spending time understanding, listening, and interacting with each student. This allows them to get to know their requirements and interests. The new EuroKids curriculum “Eunoia” is designed to help children exercise mindful practices. Adapting to mindful practices such as attention, resilience, and kindness will form the basis of learning in the early years helping build a strong foundation to imbibe 21st-century skills. Integration of yoga, music and fitness programmes alongside phonics, maths and science offers the child a superlative learning experience coupled with a nurturing and safe preschool environment. These programmes focus on enhancing the MIND, BODY and SOUL of a child thereby transforming them into evolved and balanced human beings.

The final takeaway

The future of early childhood education is a holistic, hands-on and practical system, where the complete personality of the student is taken into account as it is the need of the hour. Today’s well-informed parents are taking time to pick the right preschool as they aspire to give their child a headstart for success in life.

Authored by Prajodh Rajan, co-founder and group CEO, EuroKids International Limited.