“Only education is capable of saving our societies from possible collapse, whether violent, or gradual.” Those words from Swiss Psychologist Dr. Jean Piaget show just how important he believed early education can be in the development of a person. Called the “great pioneer of the constructive theory of knowing” by fellow researchers Piaget identified four developmental stages of a persons life.

Early in life, Piaget learned that infants and toddlers use their senses to discover the world. He then suggests that preschool age children learn through magical thinking then as they enter school they develop the abilitity to begin to think logically. Finally the fourth stage of learning involves abstract thought and the ability to reason.

Studying Piaget’s theories has helped many daycare centers tailor their educational programs to meet the needs of their students. For the youngest children that means stimulating the senses through a variety of sights, sounds and smells. Knowing the cognitive stages of development means being able to jump start the learning process.

The argument continues in educational circles whether Piaget’s model is the best for preschool or if children would benefit more from the idea’s of Dr. Maria Montessori or Dr. Howard Gartner. Like Piaget, each of them has advanced theories on how children learn by emphasising the process over the result. At Brilliance Preschool and Academy in Dallas, the staff has taken the best ideas from all three educators and have blended them into one curriculum for the children. At it’s website,  Brilliance promotes how it “has
taken into account the importance of a child’s early formative years, the cognitive phases of a child’s development and the benefits of learning through concrete experiences.”

What we learn from Jean Piaget about early childhood education is that children have to be stimulated in a variety of different ways. The traditional methods of reading to students or having them practice letters over and over are not the best ways to prepare children for the dynamic world that they will be entering. When parents select a childcare provider they need to look for a facility which is not only safe and secure but one where the children are actively engaged in the learning process.