From child care service to preschool education

Over the past 40 years, preschool education has been paid more and more attention by society and families. "Life is a hundred years, standing in childhood." Preschool education is regarded as the beginning of lifelong learning, an important part of the national education system and an important social welfare undertaking.

People's expectations and requirements for kindergartens are not only "nursing" or "providing childcare services", but more importantly, providing high-quality preschool education for children and laying a good foundation for their future development. This change can be seen from the different expressions of kindergarten tasks in the Regulations on Kindergarten Work before and after 1989 and 20 16.

The Regulations on Kindergarten Work, revised and promulgated by the Ministry of Education on 20 16, weakened the function of "child care service" and strengthened the educational function of kindergartens, including the guiding function for family education:

"The task of kindergarten is to implement the national education policy, follow the principle of combining conservation with education, follow the characteristics and laws of children's physical and mental development, implement comprehensive education in morality, intelligence, body and beauty, and promote the harmonious development of children's body and mind. Kindergarten also provides scientific parenting guidance for parents of young children. "

From unit responsibility to government responsibility

After the founding of New China, in order to meet the needs of socialist construction, especially the development of industrialization, the development of nurseries and kindergartens focused on cities. 195 1 In August, the State Council's "Decision on Reforming the Academic System" proposed that "kindergartens should be established first in cities with conditions, and then gradually promoted."

Enterprises and institutions are required to set up their own nurseries and kindergartens, which mainly undertake the task of providing child care services for their employees and provide convenient conditions for parents to participate in the work. "Child care service" has obvious unit welfare nature, and enterprises and institutions are the main bodies of holding nurseries and kindergartens.

After the reform and opening up, with the deepening of China's economic system reform and the establishment of a socialist market economic system, especially in the process of enterprise restructuring and socialization of logistics services, many enterprises and institutions have been pushed to the market. The Guiding Opinions on the Reform and Development of Early Childhood Education (Guo Ban Fa [2003]13) promulgated in 2003 clearly put forward.

"Start kindergartens with social forces as the main body". Private kindergartens have gained unprecedented development opportunities and become an important force in running schools. By 2009, the number of private kindergartens had grown to 89,304, accounting for 64.62% of the total of 65,438+038,209 kindergartens.

In 20 16, there were nearly 240,000 kindergartens in China, with 44140,000 children and 3.82 million kindergarten staff. The gross enrollment rate of preschool education reached 77.4%, exceeding the average level of 73.7% in middle and high income countries.

Compared with 2009, the number of kindergartens increased by 74%, the size of kindergarten children increased by 66%, the gross enrollment rate increased by 27% in the three years before school, and the number of teaching staff increased by 143%. The problems of "difficult admission" and "expensive admission" have been obviously alleviated, and a public service system for public welfare and inclusive preschool education has taken shape.

From "teacher-centered" to "child-centered"

Straightening out the system and mechanism of preschool education development and clarifying the main responsibility of the government for preschool education development are great achievements of preschool education development in the past 40 years of reform and opening up. What can be compared with this achievement is the reform of kindergarten education practice in China, which has taken place since the 1980 s and is oriented to the transformation of children's education concept.

Any educational reform is essentially a conscious cultural choice of "value first". In a sense, the essence of educational reform is the cultivation and practice of a series of new educational ideas.

Since the reform and opening up 40 years ago, with the promulgation of Regulations on Kindergarten Work, Guidelines for Kindergarten Education and Guidelines for Learning and Development of Children Aged 3-6, kindergarten education should be based on children's development, respect children's personality and rights, respect children's physical and mental development laws and learning characteristics, take games as the basic activities, pay equal attention to education and care for individual differences.

The new concept of early childhood education, such as promoting the personality development of each child, has gradually taken root in people's hearts and become the basic value orientation of kindergarten education practice in China.

Under the influence of the new concept of children's education, the face of kindergarten education practice has changed greatly, from "teacher-centered, discipline-centered, classroom-centered" to "children-centered, game-based, and education in kindergarten environment and daily activities".

In the unremitting theoretical and practical exploration of preschool educators, a kindergarten game teaching model with China characteristics, which is suitable for the laws and characteristics of children's physical and mental development, is taking shape and developing.

From "nanny" and "aunt" to "professional" teacher

"One hundred years, education-oriented. The education plan is teacher-oriented. " Teachers are the first resource for the development of education. Preschool teachers are the key to improve the quality of preschool education. To develop preschool education and meet people's expectations for preschool education, we must build a team of high-quality preschool teachers.

After 40 years of reform and opening up, the status and requirements of preschool teachers have also changed greatly. Until the 1980s, preschool teachers were also called "aunties". After the reform and opening up, with a large number of young teachers who have received professional training entering kindergartens and no longer accepting the title of "aunt", kindergarten teachers began to have professional titles like primary and secondary school teachers.

The number and quality of kindergarten teachers are constantly expanding and improving. 198 1 year, there are only 4 10000 preschool teachers in China. In 20 16, the number of preschool teachers has exceeded 2.23 million. The academic requirements for preschool teachers are also constantly improving. At present, the education of kindergarten teachers has always been mainly junior college and undergraduate, and it is not uncommon for kindergarten teachers with postgraduate education.

The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China placed education in a strategic position of giving priority to development, and clearly stated that it is necessary to "run preschool education well", "educate children well and learn to teach" and "strive to make every child enjoy a fair and quality education".

"Early childhood education" has become a major livelihood issue of great concern to the party and the government. Under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, preschool educators will continue to innovate and forge ahead, which will surely create a bright future for the development of preschool education in China.