Probably one of the most important aspects of early childhood care corresponds to the development of cognitive, psychomotor, language and socio-affective skills. For several decades, it has been emphasized that this attention is not only limited to satisfying the needs of the body itself, but also to enriching the family and social environment that takes on meaning in the lives of children. Several factors such as diet, sleep, health protection are undoubtedly factors that have a high impact at this stage. However, the one that contains elements of interaction, attachment and protection become indispensable. Undoubtedly, without adequate sensory stimulation, the child's intellectual and emotional development can be compromised. Therefore, the family, school and physical environment have the power to strengthen, build and foster a safe space for the comprehensive development of infants in connection with others (Pinta et al., 2019; Marin et al., 2019).
However, the environments in which children develop do not always have the ideal characteristics to promote what is necessary for growth in harmony and perception of security. The reality is that in families with limited economic and/or educational resources, it is more common for children not to be so actively stimulated by their caregivers. One of the reasons is that, in general, their parents or caregivers share their time in domestic administration and work outside the home, which leads to a situation in which it is difficult for them to maintain a functional home in parallel with the upbringing of their children. (Grau et al., 2021).
Due to the above, it is necessary to make caregivers aware of the enormous importance of having educational programs that are easy to carry out in their own home and child care centers, without implying an investment of time and effort outside of your reach. These programs, highly relevant to face the challenge of making spaces for learning in their complex adult life, also require the encouragement of experts who take care of important elements such as: the use of language, assimilation processes and finally transfer to practice. . Undoubtedly, these training initiatives must cover a series of relevant elements for the comprehensive development of children, especially socio-emotional aspects (x Than-Ferrara & Verlazco-Espinoza, 2022).
The educational projects are described below.
1. Early stimulation 0-3 years
Early stimulation is known as the intentional actions of caregivers of boys and girls between 0 and 3 years of age, which are carried out to offer learning experiences that stimulate both the senses, such as language, thought and emotional management. (Álvarez Heredia,.2004) This stimulation is essential for the development of psychomotor, cognitive, language and socio-emotional skills and the interaction between biological aspects with the facilities that the environment offers children is the key to full development.
Over time, specific theories about the development of the human being have been developed, including:
- Arnold Gesell's maturations theory
- Psychodynamic theories on emotional development of Sigmund Frued and his disciples
- Jean Piaget's genetic theory of thought
- Lev Vigotsky's constructivist theory of development (Prieto Saborit et all, 2021)
Each one explains a part of development because there is none that is totally comprehensive of the complexity of the human being.
To carry out an intervention on development, it is important to take into account three great moments:
- Coordination between the specialist and the parents
- The assessment of the child's development to detect gaps
- Continuous intervention by the specialist and the parents or caregivers
In the case of psychomotor development, of course, what is valued in the child changes according to their chronological age. To support the assessment stage, there are several scales that serve as a reference framework for each stage of development.
| Name |
Aspect to mesaure |
| Gesell-Amatruda Development Scale From 0 to 6 years |
From 0 to 6 years
Measures the motor, adaptive, language and personal social areas
|
| Denver Test (DDST) |
From 0 to 6 years
Measures gross and fine motor, language, and personal social areas |
| Escala de Brazelton |
From birth to two months |
| Beatlle Development Inventory |
Evaluation of fundamental areas of the child and determines possible delays |
From (Prieto Saborit, et all, 2012)
From the diagnostic impression, which is born from the appreciation and observation of the children's behavior, although in very young children it may still be diffuse, an individualized routine is established that includes the diagnosis, the objective to influence certain areas, the level of the intervention, the necessary support at home, frequency of the sessions and prognosis.
In the case of emotional development (development of forms of attachment)
At least three stages or phases are established:
- Be part of the observation of the behavior of children and their caregivers.
- Phase of Orientation towards the person (without recognition of their caregivers)
- Privileged Interaction Phase for their caregivers without rejection from other people.
- Bonding Phase and fear of strangers
- Expression of emotions (Bowlby, 1997; Winnicot, 1983)
About the area of communication
There are some functional prerequisites for communication that mature with the natural growth of the child and with the adequate stimulation that the environment offers, of which:
- Kinesthetic sensitivity
- Perceptual ability
- Rhythms and perceptual patterns
- Tuning, harmonization and differential response
- Babbling
- First syllables
- First words
Early stimulation is then this intentional and guided intervention to offer children between 0 and 3 years of age varied stimuli that provide raw material for their perceptual, cognitive, motor, affective, language and social development. Although part of a diagnosis to detect gaps can be offered to all children, by specialists but caregivers can learn and perform routines from home (Palacios, Marchessi, & Coll, 1991).
2. Preschool education 4–6 years
The importance of the role of kindergarten in early childhood education was recognized since the eighteenth century, studied, and implemented by great pedagogues of that time. In our days, preschool education is understood as a necessity in the educational systems and training paths of people worldwide. In fact, multiple studies have confirmed that the return on investment placed in preschool education is characterized by offering a series of social advantages such as: rapid literacy, development of skills for life and work, even the reduction of violence (Heckman , 2011).
Therefore, to establish the basic educational elements that should make up early childhood care from the perspective of this project, its main components are described and substantiated: the curricular approach, literacy, creative and artistic thinking, the exploration of the world from the sciences and the use of technologies for learning.
High Scope (HS) Approach to Preschool Education: The HS curriculum represents a curricular model for preschool education. Its central concept is active learning. It focuses on creating a positive and challenging learning environment, based on four pillars: establishing a solid daily routine, linking, and interacting between children and adults, designing a learning environment appropriate to the interests and abilities of the kids. Continuous evaluation is also carried out to better understand the progress and promote the continuous development of skills in infants (Zhiqi, 2021). Figure 1 contains the four pillars that make up active learning in HS.
Figure 1:The four essential elements of the High Scope curriculum for preschool education.
Literacy: Learning to read and write begins birth and is based on the basic need of children to communicate. Reading and writing take place in a larger context of language development. In an active learning environment, children choose to read, write, and talk with others, share meaningful things to communicate about and people to communicate with. Teachers and caregivers promote this process using a variety of strategies, ranging from choosing activities according to their age and interests, collaborating in labeling names of areas, toys, materials, reading and acting out stories, making the sounds of words and lyrics listening, speaking, and having fun with the language, singing, reciting rhymes, listening, and describing.
Mathematical and logical thinking: It is known that the development of mathematical and logical thinking starts from the first months of life. The process of understanding that children carry out about the world allows them to learn the meaning of numbers, space, distances and everything that places them in the here and now. The development of this thought is linked to motor development. In fact, modern psychological theories indicate that the basic mathematical notions have their origin in the motor schemes typical of the first stages of individual development. In addition, it is related to language, which allows to interact, think and understand natural and physical phenomena in a certain context, allowing this to take advantage of the various opportunities for learning and maturation of logical and mathematical thinking from an early age. This thinking results in the ability to form basic mathematical and logical structures, to apply basic principles of cardinal and ordinal quantification, and to internalize actions that give concrete support to basic arithmetic operations (Wolfgang, 2003).
Creative and artistic thinking:
Creative and artistic thinking constitutes a particular mode of cognitive activity, which presents characteristics of originality, flexibility, elaboration and fluidity. This thought is strengthened with strategies from home and school that open opportunities for problem formulation, as well as in the construction and resolution of situations, both in learning contexts
as in everyday life. To stimulate this thought, it is necessary to activate processes such as perception, mental organization, and information processing. Other personal variables also come into play, such as motivation, openness to experience and emotion. Like other types of thought, creativity and artistic manifestations unfold in social realities, in the exercise of values and beliefs of the environment
Use of technologies for learning: este tipo de pensamiento es asimismo importante que los anteriormente descritos. Se sabe la importancia del desarrollo del pensamiento científico en los niños desde el entendimiento de su innata necesidad de explorar su medio ambiente en su amplio sentido. La exploración y la experiencia se vuelven dos elementos fundamentales para construir desde los primeros años habilidades para la comprobación de hipótesis, análisis de situaciones, reflexión sobre el medio, como pilares para entender que la ciencia es un excelente camino para comprender el mundo. Igualmente, en este caso, las estrategias que despliegan tanto educadores y cuidadores son fundamentales para fortalecer esta curiosidad por el mundo, entender las relaciones entre los objetos y elementos del medio y generar pensamiento y comprensión desde los hechos.
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