Early childhood education

Early childhood education is beneficial for children ages from infancy to the age of 5. The purpose of early education is to prepare young children for when they begin attending elementary school. Early education also helps students gain vital social skills by interacting with their peers and teachers. It is in this setting that children being to learn basic social interactions, and also begin to develop a sense of morality. Therefore PAAJAF as established an Educational Institute to address the needs of everyone.

Studies suggest early childhood education has a range of benefits to children, their families and communities. Some specialists assert that young children are able to learn at their best by interacting with their peers. Children also learn well when they receive gentle treatment from their parents and other caretakers. In these kinds of environments, children want to learn rather than feel pressured to perform to extremely high standards. It has also been established that children who attend preschool have less health issues in the future.

When children are very young, the quality of the education they receive can affect them greatly. PAAJAF’s Educational Institute has established The Infant School to address the early childhood education needs of the preschool aged children of rural Gbawe, Ghana. PAAJAF uses the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and adapts to the local needs of the community.

What is the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework?

The Early Years Foundation Stage, also known as EYFS is an educational framework that sets standards for the learning, development and care of children up to 5 years old. This integrated approach to early learning and care gives early education professionals a set of common principles to commitment to in order to ensure the delivery of quality early education experiences. All childcare and educational professionals use EYFS as the core document for early childhood education. PAAJAF’s Education Institute uses EYFS to enhance the development of academic, social, emotional, creative, and physical skills. The Infant School caters to the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles to ensure each child has the chance to learn in the way that is most comfortable to them.

The Benefits of Early Education of Children

Early childhood education has been shown to give children a lot of advantages as compared to children who do not receive a preschool level education.

Social Skills

Studies have shown that children gain improved social skills when they are able to participate in preschool level educational opportunities This kind of learning environment gives young children the opportunity to gain vital skills that will allow them to communicate more effectively as they grow into adults.

Better Performance Throughout Their School Career

Studies have also shown that when children receive an early childhood education their performance later in school is better compared to those who do not receive an early education or those who do not have access to preschool. When children have access to quality preschool programs they gain the opportunity to build a strong foundation for their physical, mental, emotional and social development that will  prepare them for adulthood.

Better Attention Spans

When children have the opportunity to have an early education their attention spans are greater than those of children who do not receive the same opportunities. This leads to children being more curious to discover new things about their environment. A quality early childhood education program allow children to discover new experiences and make friends. Children who receive and early education are better at listening, group tasks, following direction and being able to solve problems.

The Desire for Life-long Learning

Studies have also shown that children who receive an early education are more curious and interested in learning new things. These children have more confidence to try new things. Children also learn how to deal with difficult challenges on their own, which helps them become problem solvers later in the future.

Impoverished Children Make the Most Gains with Early Education

PAAJAF’s Educational Institute wishes to provide all children will an early childhood education. Currently many children in Gbawe still do not attend school, but PEI is working hard on reducing that number and providing all children with the same opportunities. Studies show that, while all children benefit from an early education, children living in impoverished conditions stand to gain the most from preschool programmes. This is because the programmes give children the vital resources that they need that they wouldn’t have access to otherwise. Children from families with means have more options and alternative ways to gain the skills and support that they need. The preschool established by the PAAJAF Educational Institute hopes to help children feel safe while gaining a quality education. During the 2015/2016 school year the preschool at PEI had 54 children enrolled, and hopes to continue to provide a quality education to children of all ages for many more years to come.

Not Enough Access to Education

Currently the young children of Gbawe Ghana do not have access to a good -quality education outside of the PAAJAF Education Institute. These kinds of  educational programmes help provide guidance outside the home as to what is the most important when providing children with the basic cognitive and language skills.

These programmes can also help foster competence and emotional development. In fact, it is widely recognized that early childhood care and education form the foundation of a high-quality basic education. PEI is dedicated to investing  early childhood education to reduce the gaps that often put children with low social and economic status at a disadvantage.

PEI’s Mission

PEI’s mission is to provide access to an early education for every child, regardless of where they come from in the community. PEI’s mission also includes operating as a non-profit and serving the community. PEI wishes to provide a quality education to enable students to gain the skills to help them become more productive adults when the grow up. PEI also wishes to eradicate poverty across the world.