Childcare centers strive to educate children at a younger age

Tanya Berkebile | Cadillac News Ashlynee Cox, 3, paints a picture recently at Stepping Stones Early Learning Center in McBain. At the center, children not only play, but they participate in many learning activities as well such as sign language, learning a foreign language, how to read and the alphabet.

With more parents both working full time, families have to make a decision on where to bring their children for childcare. For those who don’t have family or close friends in the area, many times they look to childcare centers.

More childcare centers are adding play-based curriculum to prepare the children for school.

“There is a big trend to push down curriculum right now. So things normally learned in first grade, they want kindergartners to know,” said Central Michigan University early childhood educator Helen Hagens. “It is somewhat worrisome because the average age that children read is 7. By expecting 5-year-olds to read, a large number may feel disappointed if they can’t.”

Becky Wiinikainen, owner of Stepping Stones Early Learning Center in McBain, incorporates many academic activities into the children’s day including learning new languages, the alphabet, how to count and sign language. This is in addition to social skills such as sharing, respect and cleanliness.

MCBAIN — Up until the past couple months, Rhonda Wilson was a stay-at-home mom to her three young sons. When she decided to go back to work, she had a difficult decision to make — where to bring them for childcare.

“I had been leaving them with my mom because I wanted someone who would treat them like family, not just someone else’s kids,” the McBain woman said. “I wanted someone I knew would interact with them and not just plop them in front of the TV. I also wanted someone who has the same set of morals I have.”

After sending them to a childcare center for a week, she searched for a new center because they didn’t like going there. She then looked into Stepping Stones Early Learning Center, which recently opened in McBain. She said she knows she made the right choice.

“They love going there. They don’t like the weekends because they can’t see Miss Becky (Wiinikainen),” Wilson said. “I know they are learning because they always come home and say ‘Hey mommy, I learned to write this.’ They also come back and say ‘Miss Becky taught us a song. Want to hear it?’”

In the past few years, it has become a nationwide trend for children to read at an earlier age. For this reason, preschools and childcare centers are trying to introduce children to academic material before they head to kindergarten.

“Children are very adaptable and can learn just about anything we teach them,” said Central Michigan University early childhood educator Helen Hagens. “The question is how do we teach the material to them.”

For small children, she said the best way to introduce them to new skills is through playful activities. Instead of having them sit down and fill out sheets, she said it should be done through games, singing songs or other interesting activities.

“In a play-based curriculum, children don’t realize they are learning but they have fun doing it. That is a good thing,” Hagens said. “We tend to think of teaching as teacher directed — telling them things and having them repeat it back. That is not the best way to learn.”

Becky Wiinikainen, owner of Stepping Stones Early Learning Center, tries not to use that approach. Instead, she has a daily schedule that incorporates learning and playing together.

“We do a different theme each week and learn about it through activities,” Wiinikainen said. “I worked at Head Start for many years, so that is where a lot of my ideas come from. I also learned a lot through my schooling and have to constantly continue my education to be certified.”

Hagens said qualifications of childcare providers also are important to look at when searching for someone to care for children.

“Childcare is incredibly irregular throughout the country — some are good and some are bad,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if it is a beautiful building, but that the childcare provider has training.”

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