IBU Foundation

Implementing the Early Childhood Development Program

Thursday, 11 February 2010 08:03

The international pledge in MDGS says that children were able to complete their primary schooling by 2015. The national effort through “wajib belajar 9 tahun” had significantly increased the primary school completion, as it was now more accessible.

Children start their primary education usually at age 5 or 6. Children below 5 years old belong to early childhood stage. Early Child Development is the first and essential step toward achieving primary school completion. Early childhood is the most rapid period of development in a human life.

Although individual children develop at their own pace, all children progress through an identifiable sequence of physical, cognitive, and emotional growth and change. The Early Child Development approach is based on the proven fact that young children respond best when caregivers use specific techniques designed to encourage and stimulate progress to the next level of development. The ultimate goal of Early Child Development (ECD) programs is to improve young children’s capacity to develop and learn. A child who is ready for school has a combination of positive characteristics: he or she is socially and emotionally healthy, confident, and friendly; has good peer relationships; tackles challenging tasks and persists with them; has good language skills and communicates well; and listens to instructions and is attentive.

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