Early Childhood

The High/Scope Foundation has well-documented that as children construct knowledge through their active involvement with people, materials, events, and ideas, they also strengthen self-esteem, feelings of responsibility, and self-control.

Children can be encouraged and led through a range of Key Experiences to serve as guideposts of development. Key Experiences are defined for infants and toddlers, as well as for preschoolers, to guide teachers in materials and opportunities that should be provided as children are actively involved in their environment.

Key Experience categories include: initiative and social relations, creative representation, language and literacy, movement, music, classification, seriation, number, space, and time.

General assessment of children in these experiences can help teachers identify expected development physically, socially, and cognitively as well as to note special needs particular children might have.