10 Educational Concepts for Early Childhood
1. All Japanese nationals have the right to be educated from birth.
2. It is important to begin children’s education at a very young age as this is in the best interest of the child.
3. All children have the right to receive the best possible care, beginning at birth.
4. All children from early childhood have the right to develop their personalities, talents and spiritual/physical abilities to their fullest potential.
5. Early childhood is the most important time for building a foundation for life-long education, not merely for preparing to enter school.
It is, however, necessary to give consideration to the importance of the transition from pre-school to school in order to enable the child to successfully make this transition.
6. Early childhood is a time for children as future-oriented human beings to cultivate their motivations, explore their world, and develop their awareness. In addition, early childhood is a time to learn communication skills, physical skills, and nurture autonomy and independence.
7. All young children are basically educated through the environments surrounding them, and therefore we must prepare good educational environments for them.
8. As early as possible, all children should be encouraged to express themselves freely and participate in making decisions on matters relating to themselves.
9. The dignity of all children should be respected, and their independence should be encouraged.
10. A child in early childhood is here defined to be below approximately eight years old.
