The demand for ECE centers are increasing day by day everywhere particularly in urban areas. To cater to this need many ECE centers are coming up without understanding the significance of ECE.
Early Childhood center acts as a transition between home and school. It should provide group activities and learning experiences for over all development of the child like social habits, language, motor skills, self-confidence, creativity and intellectual growth.
It provides basic foundation for the child’s future growth and development.
It promotes already formed cognitive skills by avoiding intellectual stagnation.
It gives companionship of age mates for early socialization of the children.
It promotes better adjustment to formal schooling.
It preserves human resource by tapping skills and abilities of child and channelizing them towards creative growth.
It facilities in terms of material, experience and learning situations for the child to explore and learn.
The promoters of the ECE movement in different countries at different times have put forward various objectives aiming at the all-round development of the child i.e. physical, social, emotional and intellectual.
Education Commission’s (1966) suggestion of certain objectives for early childhood period in India are spelled out as follows
Participants