Page 1 - LESSION 12.pmd

Planning Developmentally Appropriate ECCE Curriculum

Notes
12

PLANNING DEVELOPMENTALLY

APPROPRIATE ECCE

CURRICULUM

From birth, babies attempt to build a relation with their surroundings using all
their senses. Babies are wide-eyed, get startled by loud noise, pull back their feet
when stroked and slowly make gurgling sounds to a game of peek-a-boo.
Psychologists and educationists agree that early childhood (birth to eight years
of age) is a crucial stage of life in terms of physical and motor, cognitive, language
and social-emotional development of children. At this stage, growth of abilities
also takes place at an astounding rate, which leads to a high proportion of early
learning. It is a time when children need a stimulating and an enabling environment,
and quality learning experiences. In the absence of a responsive environment
children may lose chances of development. Advantages of a healthy start could
be irreversibly reduced. The significance of the first 1000 days is being increasingly
recognized as crucial for lifelong learning. Continuing during the preschool level, it
is important to ensure that necessary maturational and experimental experiences
are provided to the children that will help them to learn and grow as per their
potential. For children to make optimal gains, we need to plan an age and develop
mentally appropriate Early Childhood Education curriculum to ensure the holistic
development of children.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
After studying this lesson, you will be able to:

• explain the meaning and significance of age and developmentally
appropriate ECCE curriculum;
• discuss the need and importance of contextualisation of ECCE curriculum;

36 EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION