ECE 120 - Early Childhood Models PDF

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ECE-120 Early Childhood Models essay. Comparing the difference between a Montessori program and a Head Start program...

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1 Sara Juston ECE 120 – Early Childhood Foundations and the Teaching Profession May 2, 2021 Instructor Amy Christopher Early Childhood Models Children are the most valuable thing in today’s society, this is why it is so important to understand that children all learn in different ways. As result to this, there are many different classroom methods that are used in early childhood classrooms. Within this paper we will compare two different early childhood educational models; the Head Start approach and the Montessori approach. The Head Start method is a preschool program that was founded in 1965 for low-income families. (Biddle, 2014, p. 70). It is a program that serves preschool ages, 3–5-year-olds. Head Start focuses on school readiness and social skills with young children. They focus on all the five main domains when it comes to early childhood education: social skills, emotional skills, language skills, cognitive skills, and physical skills. The original goal for the Head Start program was to enhance children’s social competence, this still remains a major factor in Head Start classrooms. (Hinitz, 2014) The teacher’s role in a Head Start program is to help teach the children by planning developmentally appropriate activities to help reach their goals in each of the five domains listed above. A Head Start classroom will have a smaller class size and a lower child to teacher ratio giving the teachers more ability to work one-on-one with their students. Lead teachers at a Head Start program must have extensive training in child development.

2 Enrolling a child in a Head Start program comes with many benefits and advantages, for today and in their future. It has been found that children who attend early Head Start programs do better in elementary school, they have fewer absences, and are less likely to be held back or drop out. (Biddle, 2014). Head Start strives on parent involvement, which also is very beneficial in the long run for your child’s education. Head Start classrooms are also a very safe and healthy environment for young children. They are also more structured and routine than other early childhood approaches. Although Head Start has many beneficial factors, there are some disadvantages to this program too. First, not everyone is allowed to attend a Head Start program. As they focus primarily on lower income families. And second, the curriculum for a Head Start program in based on the curriculum of what they will need to know for the kindergarten classes that are part of that school district. Meaning, no room for flexibly in curriculum and that all students will be ranked the same. The students will not be able to learn at their own pace. The Montessori program was founded by Maria Montessori. The Montessori approach is primarily founded in private schools, from grades preschool - high school. Montessori programs emphasis the learning through hands-on and work experiences, meaning they are learning new skills essentially on their own. This program focuses on the importance of learning through their senses. Students in Montessori programs are recognized to be different and are able to learn and grow at their own personal pace. They are surrounded by supplies and equipment to be able to explore their environment. The curriculum and lesson plans are based off of the child’s interests. The role of the teacher in a Montessori program is to be there to guide the students, rather than instructing the children to participate in specific tasks. The role of the children is the ability to explore and learn through their surroundings. (Biddle, 2014)

3 The Montessori program can have many advantages when it comes to how young children learn best. Like mentioned above, Montessori programs emphasis on hands-on learning. Young children learn the best by doing rather than listening. This program also focuses on the need to develop social and life skills. Students in Montessori programs gain more responsibility. Overall, these students gain a love for learning by learning what they find interesting and learning the way that works best for them. Although Montessori programs come with many advantages, they do come with some disadvantages too. Some children strive from a more structured environment. Most Montessori programs are not very structured and are not teacher oriented. Another disadvantage would be the price. Unlike Head Start programs, Montessori is not government funded. Majority of Montessori programs and private schools, meaning the price of tuition could be a lot higher. Head Start and Montessori programs both come with many different advantages and disadvantages. When comparing and contrasting these two approaches you have to think about what is best for that individual student. All children learn differently making different early childhood education approaches to work differently on each student.

4 References Hinitz, B. S. F. (2014). Head Start. YC: Young Children, 69(2), 94-97. Retrieved from: https://web-b-ebscohost-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org Biddle, K., Garcia-Neverz, A., Henderson, V. (2014). Early Childhood Education: Becoming a Professional. Retrieved from: https://viewer.gcu.edu/depVVK...