Principles of Teaching Preschool Age Children

History

• The National Child Care Association, or NCCA, is focused on private early childhood education, including subsidized child care, Head Start programs and public pre-K programs. Based in Washington, D.C., NCCA is a members-only organization that provides support to fully licensed, private early education programs around the United States. All but five United States participate in the NCCA.
  In a May 2007 document entitled, "Six Principles In Early Childhood Education: A New Public Policy Debate," the NCCA proposes that all children have access to quality early education. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2009, early education for children "can shape their views of themselves and can affect their later success or failure in school, work and their personal lives."
  In addition, the National Education Association stated in 2009 that "providing a high-quality education for children before they turn 5 yields significant long-term benefits" and that "[h]igh-quality early childhood education represents one of the best investments our country can make."

Opportunities for Every Child

• This includes access to full-year, full-day early childhood education in age-appropriate settings.
  Creating age-appropriate early education helps nurture children to be able to communicate well, develop social maturity, grow their curiosity and be physically healthy and well-nourished.

Long-Term Sustainability

• The NCCA calls for public and private investment in early childhood education and programming.

  Early childhood development is a matter of public interest. The NEA cites quality preschool programs as creating a society of individuals who are "less likely to repeat grades, need special education or get into future trouble with the law."

Coordination

• Coordinating early childhood education with state and federal programs is supposed to ensure that all children are fully prepared for elementary school. The coordination of funding and administration will actually cut down on wasted federal and state money because of gaps and duplication in costs and services. It will also reinforce the two principles listed above.

Licensed Age-Appropriate Environments

• Early childhood education programs need to address the specific developmental criteria for children from birth through kindergarten. This licensing includes health and safety standards for the workers and the facilities.
  The facilities should create an environment for children that focuses specifically on their developing brain structure through experiences, repetition and early relationships.

Choice

• Parents should have a say in which early childhood education program to enroll their child. This way not only are the needs of the children being met, but the needs of working parents in a variety of familial, social and economic situations are also met.

Professional Workforce

• The NCCA advocates investment in teacher training as essential to the principles of preschool education. Teacher training should be affordable and accessible and should include hands-on experience for better development of quality educators.
  It also advocates for early education teachers to keep their skills sharp through ongoing training, development and teacher education.