For young children, learning opportunities are everywhere, even in simple things like finding a spider web or watching construction workers. At Close to Home Child Development Center in St. Paul, children explore everyday situations as part of the learning process. So, when a construction crew began work outside the center, teachers brought math and science into the real world.
“There’s so much to learn in that one experience,” said Ann Lee, co-owner of Close to Home. “Science, the community, all of that is encompassed in that one example.”
Close to Home offers full-day care for children ages 6 months to 5 years, and the kids are actively engaged in learning with college-educated instructors. So, would you call Close to Home and other centers like it a daycare or a preschool?
“In general, it’s hard to make a distinction quite as clearly as people do,” said Ann McCully, executive director of the Minnesota Child Care Resource and Referral Network.
It is a common misconception that preschools are more academic than childcare centers, but, ideally, the two should use similar curricula. The primary difference is the hours of operation. Childcare centers are ideal for parents who need care during standard working hours: Most offer full-time care, whereas preschools usually operate two or three days a week.
A high-quality preschool or childcare center curriculum focuses on early literacy, social and emotional development, and motor skills. It should also incorporate preliminary math concepts, such as identifying shapes and counting objects, as well as language exercises, such as rhyming and singing. Good programs encourage positive social interactions, which is a major part of preparing for kindergarten.
Parents with children in childcare centers may not think of their kids as being in “school,” but, as McCully says, “Learning looks different for 3- and 4-year-olds. For children that age, play and interacting is learning.”
Designed for learning
Close to Home has two classes of 3 1/2- to 5-year-olds, each with 16 kids and two teachers. Lee, who has a background in Montessori education, believes that hands-on learning is important. “Children learn by being immersed,” she said. “They want to touch it, feel it, taste it.”
To promote interactions like that, Close to Home maintains a rich learning environment that leaves room for exploration. Cindy White, who has taught in its preschool program for 13 years, offers kids both structure and independence. Her classroom is colorful and appeals to the kids’ senses. Storage areas are labeled with Polaroid photographs and neatly printed words. Stations in the room include a corner for playing house and a sensory table filled with touch-and-feel items.
In the mornings, the class listens to and discusses stories and plays learning games. Kids also have a chance to choose an activity, such as art or dramatic play. “The more open-ended it is, the more you’re going to see exploration,” White said. “You have to find a real balance between teacher direction and
self-direction.”
Return on investment
A high-quality early childhood education program, whether in a childcare center or a traditional preschool, builds a strong educational foundation for kindergarten – leading to higher test scores, higher graduation rates, and less need for special education. Those are results that community and business leaders are starting to notice. In fact, studies have shown that $4-$17 are returned for every dollar invested in early childhood education.
“It used to be that educators were the people who really felt that early education was important,” said Kay Miller, coordinator of the Bloomington/Richfield Early Childhood Family Center. A recent statewide poll found that 71 percent of Minnesotans believed that preparing all children in the state for kindergarten should be a top priority.
That can, and should, happen in a variety of settings.
