Early Childhood Education: Development, DAP, and Multiple Intelligences

Preparing Children for School Through Childcare

One of the key roles of childhood care providers is to prepare children for school through curricula that help children nurture their individual cognitive, physical, emotional, and social skills, while also helping instructors respond to the needs, interests, and abilities of each child in their care. Cognitive development is of particular importance, equipping children with knowledge in areas such as measurement and patterns, shapes and numbers, and counting techniques (Childcare Aware, 2014). This area of child development is best built through play. A report by the Manitoba Early Learning and Childhood Curriculum Framework, for instance, recommends developing children's cognitive and intellectual skills through hands-on experiences — such as allowing them to experiment with a variety of cardboard boxes and tubes.

Furthermore, such play activities nurture a child's social skills, equipping them with the abilities necessary for interacting, negotiating, and engaging effectively with other children (Manitoba Early Learning and Childhood Curriculum, n.d.). In addition to boosting a child's problem-solving, communication, leadership, and organizational skills, such activities open up opportunities for children to become more appreciative of the cultures and backgrounds of others. This is particularly important given the rising degree of diversity in school settings. Childcare settings also prepare children for school by developing their physical skills (Childcare Aware, 2014). Motor skills and coordination are, for instance, developed through activities such as ball-kicking.

Instructional Approaches in Childcare Settings

The Childcare Aware Organization identifies two instructional approaches used in childcare facilities: (i) child-directed instruction, where children are given the lead in their own learning and are given opportunities to direct their own play and learning activities; and (ii) teacher-directed instruction, where the teacher almost entirely directs children's learning activities. Concern has been raised over the declining significance of child-directed approaches in childcare facilities and kindergartens. By being allowed to design their own learning experiences, children develop feelings of self-confidence and competence and learn to construct their own knowledge. Persistent direction by the teacher, on the other hand, inhibits children's creativity and impedes self-confidence, making it difficult for them to develop leadership, coordination, organizational, and communication skills. For this reason, providers are often advised to design curricula that provide ample opportunities for self-directed approaches to learning.

Childcare facilities are, like any other organization, licensed by their respective states. The overriding aim of such licenses is to ensure that facilities provide safe and high-quality learning environments for children. Licensing regulations ensure that facilities comply with fire regulations and safety standards addressing hazards such as falls and injuries; that food preparation and nutrition standards meet established safety requirements; and that they make use of properly designed curricula aimed at nurturing children's intellectual, social, emotional, and physical skills. In other words, licensing ensures that facilities operate in a manner that effectively achieves the objective of preparing children to become capable individuals in their later years.

Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences

The theory of multiple intelligences, advanced by Howard Gardner, is based on the idea that people have different strengths and profiles of intelligence and therefore cannot learn, remember, and understand in the same way. The theory is built upon seven intelligences that Gardner believes determine how well an individual is able to interact with and understand the world:

(i) Linguistic intelligence, which measures a person's ability to use spoken and written language to convey a message effectively and achieve a certain goal; (ii) intrapersonal intelligence, measuring how well one is able to understand and appreciate oneself, and consequently develop life models that lead to effective self-regulation; (iii) interpersonal intelligence, which concerns one's ability to engage effectively with and understand the perspectives of others; (iv) spatial intelligence, which measures the ability to identify and make valuable use of space patterns; (v) bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, measuring one's capacity to use mental and physical abilities together to solve problems; (vi) musical intelligence, which measures the skill to compose and perform musical rhythms, tones, and pitches; and (vii) logical-mathematical intelligence, which assesses one's ability to carry out scientific investigations and analyze mathematical problems logically (Smith, 2008).

According to Gardner, an individual's overall intelligence level depends on their endowment across these seven intelligences. Educational facilities should therefore develop curricula broad enough to accommodate and nurture all seven intelligences.