Making Children Fit for the Future in Daycare

This text describes how future-oriented early childhood education in daycare centers and preschools can be achieved by teachers who offer free play and project work, take all aspects of development and all educational subjects into account, support children with special needs, and enable children to form close relationships. In doing so, teachers should take into account the following findings of brain research, learning and developmental psychology: Today the toddler is seen as a curious, self-active, independent "researcher" who absorbs a huge amount of information, processes it and integrates it into "intuitive theories". Basically, it behaves like an adult who has a demanding job in the knowledge society - of course at a different level. According to these research results, toddlers need a lot of freedom to explore the natural and the culturally influenced environment, to observe and research independently.

For example, educators should give children the opportunity to learn as much as possible independently or in small groups: Children should be able to be "explorers" who out of curiosity and a spirit of inquiry explore the world and form their own picture of it. Accordingly, preschool teachers should redefine their own role: as "companions" of the children on this "adventure". They can, for example, provide incentives for discovery by

• continually providing new materials, i.e. creating a well-prepared environment,
• motivating children to take part in a variety of activities (e.g. experiments, dismantling equipment, creating collections),
• confronting the children with unfamiliar situations (through excursions into nature, to shops, craft businesses, social and cultural institutions, etc.) or
• inviting parents or other adults as "specialists" for ... to the daycare center.

Furthermore, educators support the children on the path to independent experiential learning by, for example, organizing learning teams, encouraging exchanges between children, providing materials or giving requested information. The children learn where to find information, how to critically evaluate it, how to select data and how to process and use it. It is important that the "explorers" use all of their senses (sensory training), experience their world with their whole body and its limbs and have many primary experiences in real situations.

Free Play and Project Work

Exploring the world, guided by one's own curiosity, desire to explore and individual interests, is particularly possible in free play (including role play) - the natural form of learning in early childhood. While playing on their own or in small groups children encounter very different materials and explore how to use them, show their creativity, put themselves in different roles, plan something together with others and put it into practice, improvise and solve problems independently. They learn to form relationships, compete and cooperate, lead and subordinate themselves, let others finish speaking and listen carefully, negotiate something, assert themselves, make compromises, resolve conflicts and be able to lose - important skills for the future.

Due to its great importance, there should be lots of time for free play in day care facilities - young children need time and spaces which are not controlled by educators. Of course, this does not exclude educational offers, as preschool teachers can only impart some knowledge and skills in this way. However, this is often also possible in play situations in which the educators get themselves involved: By playing along or guiding, they improve the quality of the free play, bring in new ideas or stimulate thinking processes through questions. It is particularly important that they repeatedly make themselves available as conversation partners, so that longer joint thought processes can develop, knowledge can be co-constructed and metacommunication is made possible. This is when the cognitive development of young children is most intensively promoted.

Since it is not as important in day care centers to impart certain knowledge (e.g. according to a curriculum) as in school, exemplary learning is a good option. Project work is particularly well suited to this because very different methods and activities can be used, which together lead to holistic support for the children in all areas of development. Since children plan something together in projects and cooperate in implementing their plans, since they have to talk a lot to each other and discuss different positions, teamwork, communication skills and a willingness to compromise are promoted.

Subjects of Education

On the one hand, preschool teachers must introduce children to computers, smartphones and the Internet and teach them media skills. If good software is used, young children can learn new knowledge and skills with the help of computers, but can also be creative and artistic. When solving tasks together, they must interact and cooperate with one another, so that they often talk to one another more than in other activities. On the other hand, educators must also face the growing risk of primary experience deficits: Media must not gain the upper hand in everyday educational work. In the preschool sector, holistic learning, physical experience of the world and sensory training should be of greater importance.

If children are perceived as "explorers", preschool teachers should align educational work with their interests. Children should be able to have a say in naming project or monthly topics and in selecting activities. They need (self-selected) tasks that allow them to grow and develop their potential. This increases motivation to learn independently, autonomously and responsibly - and after all, learning should be fun! When children work in a team, discuss different opinions, interview "experts", etc., it is rarely necessary to point out (thinking) errors to them - which would often discourage and demotivate them. As a rule, they will discover and correct errors themselves, which not only means additional learning success, but also promotes future skills such as self-perception and perception of others, communication skills and problem-solving skills. The positive self-experience with regard to exploring, questioning and designing new things also increases curiosity, willingness to learn and performance orientation.

Promoting creativity should continue to play a major role in childcare. Painting, working with clay, handicrafts, singing, making music, dancing, shadow, puppet and theater plays and festivals should not be neglected. Thereby, the focus is less on "achievement" (e.g. on particularly beautiful handicrafts or demonstrations in front of parents), but more on playful experiences with different materials, tools, types of paper, painting techniques, sounds and (body) instruments. The seeds for later hobbies can be planted in day care centers - hobbies that offer creative activity and relaxation and are not as expensive as commercial leisure activities.

Educators should also place great value on social education, on the development of communication skills and on the ability to resolve interpersonal conflicts in a way that is satisfactory for all parties. Children must learn to shape relationships with other people in a positive way, to put themselves in other people's shoes, to adopt their perspective and to respect their feelings. They must learn to integrate themselves into smaller or larger groups, to get involved with others and to participate in determining what happens in the group. All of these skills are relevant for their future. In addition, this prepares children for life in a democracy This also includes, for example, discussing classroom rules or voting on alternative proposals (e.g. in children's conferences).

Young children must also learn to cope with normal transitions such as those from daycare to school, as well as individual transitions such as the separation of their parents or the formation of a stepfamily. Educators can help with this - by promoting the development of resilience or by furthering self-esteem (especially of children from lower social classes and marginalized groups).

Since most families live separately from older people, educators can help children to come into contact with seniors - also by integrating them into everyday preschool life. Each side can then develop an understanding of the other side's living situation and needs. Children appreciate such encounters and not only gain insights into the experiences and behavior of older people, but also a historical perspective when talking about the past. In this way, preschool teachers can contribute to understanding between the generations and create a new culture of togetherness - beyond the extended family.

The day care center is often the first place where children from different cultures and subcultures come together and interact with each other. Therefore, educators can help children from different cultures to respect each other, to tolerate different religions, values, traditions and behavior patterns and to get along with each other. Openness to cultural diversity is set by the example of the professionals. By involving parents from different population groups in the educational work (e.g. projects or lessons), children are given new learning experiences. Thanks to the Internet, partnerships with day care centers in developing countries are also possible. This allows young children to gain a first impression of the lives of children on other continents.

Through religious or ethical education, educators can help children to acquire values ​​and morals and find meaning in life for themselves. Thereby the foundation for later social commitment can be laid: the willingness to help other people. In particular, in church-run daycare centers young children will learn Bible stories, prayers, religious songs and the meaning of holidays such as Christmas and Easter.

In an increasingly hectic society, it is also important that children learn to calm down and relax - e.g. with the help of meditation, relaxation exercises, music and mandalas or by creating places to sleep and retreat. In this way, educators can also contribute to slowing down life and reducing pressure to perform. Toy-free phases can help children learn to keep themselves busy and practice abstinence. In addition, preschool teachers act as role models if they always keep calm and do not put themselves under time pressure.

Since there will probably be more and more malnourished and overweight children in the future, health education in day care centers needs to be intensified. At least here, small children should be fed wholesome food that corresponds to their calorie needs. Often children will only learn in preschools what herbs and vegetables look like in their natural state, how to cook with fresh ingredients, how to bake bread, cookies or cakes, what is healthy and what is unhealthy. Physical education and sports are also particularly important.

In an increasingly urbanized world, it is necessary to give young children as many experiences of nature as possible. This is possible on the one hand in the outdoor area of ​​the daycare center if it is equipped with flowerbeds, herb spirals, fruit trees and bushes or even with dry stone walls, a pond, a compost heap, bushes that invite children to hide or a sensory path. On the other hand, natural areas in the neighborhood should be explored where children can observe and experience nature, play with natural materials, prove themselves physically and have safe adventures. At the same time, they can be motivated to actively protect nature and the environment by encouraging them, for example, not to damage plants, not to kill insects and to pick up rubbish. But children can also learn to use resources such as water, heating and electricity sparingly in the daycare center, for example by collecting rainwater to water plants, opening windows only briefly - but wide - in winter or only switching on lamps where light is needed.

In day care facilities, there are many other situations - in contrast to lessons - in which children can gain scientific, technical or mathematical experience. For example, they learn to count when they count the number of children present in the morning or set the table. When sorting (e.g. beads) or distributing objects (e.g. gummy bears), they develop concepts of quantity; when pouring sand or water into containers of different sizes, they observe the invariance of quantities. When playing with building blocks, they recognize different geometric shapes and learn their names. At the same time, they gain experience with statics. When they seesaw, they experience the leverage effect. When they observe how snow and ice melt or that steam is produced when cooking, they recognize different states of matter. When they make yeast dough, they see how quickly fungal cultures can multiply. They should also learn how to use the equipment available in day care facilities (tricycle, telephone, copier, CD player, computer, etc.) - and how it works, if the teachers (can) answer the children's questions.

In addition, young children can gain their first experience of economic life when they explore the money cycle as part of a project or look at who is involved in the production of processed products (e.g. "Where do the ingredients for bread come from?"). Other possibilities include exhibitions in the day care center, for which the children collect an entrance fee or where they sell pictures they have painted themselves at prices they set themselves.

Although the last paragraphs differentiated between different areas of competence and education, the impression should not be created that lessons or even programs developed by specialists should predominate here. Young children learn holistically, and so the focus should be on appropriate activities for self-education and co-constructive learning (e.g. free play, project work).

Children with Special Needs

As more children will grow up in families with little education, in subcultures of various migrant groups or in risk situations (e.g. poverty) in the future, educators will be required to improve their chances in school - and thus in life. For example, children with a migrant background need some language teaching in addition to everyday language support so that they can speak English when they start school. At the same time, their parents should be encouraged to cultivate their native language as well, as multilingualism is an important qualification in the future.

Inclusion will become more important in the coming years: Disabled children and children at risk of disability should not only be integrated into daycare centers as has been the case up to now, but "pedagogy of diversity" means that the focus should be expanded to include the heterogeneity and individuality of all children: Every child has special needs, strengths and weaknesses. Accordingly, through differentiation and individualization - and without "labeling" them as "disabled", "highly gifted" or "musical" - all children should be appropriately supported according to their specific needs. In individual cases, educators will cooperate with specialists from other professional groups.

The Educator-Child Relationship

Finally, it remains important that the preschool teacher has a lot of time for the individual child. The more hours the child is cared for in the daycare center, the more important it becomes that the child can build a bond-like relationship with its primary educator. Particularly with children under three, the educator is faced with the challenge of managing the balancing act between "parent substitute" and "professional distance". Only if children feel safe and secure in the daycare center can they take advantage of all the learning opportunities offered here.

Also in the future children will need people to talk to, people they can confide their thoughts and feelings to and who really listen. Above all, the current needs of children must be taken into account - for love and affection, appreciation and respect, reliability and friendship, individuality and self-realization. For children, day care centers should be an environment in which they feel content and happy.

Educating children for the future does not mean that child orientation is abandoned - and of course day care centers must continue to be family, everyday life and present-oriented. But the child must always be the focus!

Improving the Conditions of Work

The tasks of daycare and preschool facilities outlined here can only be fulfilled satisfactorily if the quality of educational work is improved in the coming years. To do this, the group size and the teacher-child ratio in particular must be reduced. But the preparation and follow-up time must also be extended; bureaucratic tasks must be kept to a minimum. In addition, the initial qualification and further training of educators must be improved. Like employees in other areas of child and youth welfare, teachers need (individual) supervision, which is currently denied to them in most daycare centers. A better quality of early childhood education can therefore only be achieved if more financial resources are made available by politicians.