Early Childhood Education Is A Communal Effort

There is an African proverb that says, “It takes a village to raise a child”. And New Zealand has embraced this understanding in how it approaches early childhood education (ECE).

Various scientific studies continue to confirm the vital role the early childhood developmental years (ages 0-6) play in an individual’s later life, as it is during this time that a person’s ultimate personality, cognitive functioning, linguistic and numeric comprehension, socialisation, and emotional regulation are primarily established.

To best support children in this early phase of life, NZ advocates for a comprehensive ECE approach, with families, educators, and the broader community all playing a pivotal role.

Aside from governmental subsidies for ECE, which enable children to be educated for up to 20 hours a week for free, there is also a honed focus on promoting specific ECE-level teacher training. Indeed, teacher training, such as what is presented in Hamilton early childhood education courses, are generating higher-qualified and better-equipped ECE professionals who can take specialised care of young children’s educational needs –in respect to both academics and broader holistic development.

NZ also offers various formal and informal ECE approaches, including traditional preschools, education and care services, at-home services, and numerous parent-or-community-led options such as Montessori schools and structured playgroups. This, combined with NZ’s generally more laid-back and family-friendly lifestyle, makes it easier to educate young children and promote their cognitive, emotional, physical, and social development by engaging with nature, their families, peers, and the broader community as well as in formal education settings.

By actively promoting all-encompassing education that seeks out both familial and professional involvement in ECE and builds children’s sense of belonging and sense of self, NZ children tend to be more confident and resilient upon entering later phases of the education system. All this advantages them for their futures.