Question 1
Describe two goals of a quality infant/toddler care and education program and two ways caregivers/teachers can help reach such goals.
A quality toddler education should be aimed at giving the child an opportunity to develop cognitively, physically, and emotionally. Besides, it should introduce them to the societal cultural, ethos, and linguistic standards. Thus, they will grow as people who can adapt easily to the way of life of their people (Brown, H. D., 2007). They will be healthy both in the mind and body particularly if they are exposed to a curriculum in which book work is blended with extra curricular activities like singing, art, drawing and painting.
Actually, all these can not be achieved without the participation of the teachers and care givers. They should be trained on how best they can execute these roles. They can help the infants by ensuring that they follow some rules and regulations. These should understand their psychology and tactfully use rewards and punishments to bring the best out of them. They should understand individual diversities and work in conjunction with their parents to help them conform.
Is trying to explain it to people who think learning only comes from school-like activities the hardest part of infant-toddler education?
It is misleading to assume that infant learning entirely comes from the school like activities. Otherwise, it is true that they can be driven from totally unrelated experiences like playing, toilet training and eating. All these can comfortably be practiced out of a school set up. Surely, education is a life long process that does not only occur systematically in a learning institution.
Adherence to the playing rules can be informally acquired even at home. Besides, parents can really tailor the behavior of their children and help shape their relationships with others. This can be done through giving them a proper guidance on how to use sensitive gadgets like dolls and toilets. Believe you me; this will obviously determine the kind of personalities they will become in future (Housden, T. & Kam, R., 2002).
Is it possible to predict how children will do in school based on their lives at age 2?
It is possible for the pre school teachers to determine the infants’ academic capabilities at age two. His may be so because; the learning process of a child is dependant on this age. This is the foundation of learning in which the child’s endeavors can be noticed with much ease (Andrews, M. & Slate, G., 2002).
However, making such an early prediction may not be accurate. Infants are fast growing individuals whose capabilities still depend on the kind of environment they are exposed to. They can change as fast as they change location hence, their intelligence either way.
References
Andrews, M. & Slate, G. (2002). Public & Private Pre-Kindergarten Programs: A Comparison of
Brown, H. D. (2007). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language
Pedagogy (Third ed.). Pearson ESL.
Housden, T. & Kam, R. (2002). Full-day kindergarten: A summary of the research. Carmichael, CA: San
Juan Unified School District. ED 345.
