Children, Care and Education: Issues and Contexts

Singapore University of Social Sciences

Children, Care and Education: Issues and Contexts (ECE100)

Synopsis

ECE100 provides an overview of early childhood care and education (ECCE) history, landscape, and policy in Singapore, the United Nations convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), latest research on young children’s development that has informed global policies, and brief comparisons of centre-based ECCE provisions in various countries. The aim is to help students to think critically about the place of young children, their holistic needs, and the role of ECCE professionals in our society through their own autobiographical reflections, and observational skills.

Level: 1
Credit Units: 5
Presentation Pattern: Every semester

Topics

Overview of ECCE provision in Singapore
Prevailing policies on ECCE in Singapore
Desired Outcomes of pre-school education and the national education system in Singapore
Singapore’s Early Years Development Framework (Birth–3), the Refreshed Kindergarten Curriculum Framework (3–6), and Singapore Preschool Accreditation Framework
Defining “curriculum”, “programme” and “pedagogy”
Constructions of childhood
Diverse childhoods in Singapore and implications for ECCE
Approaches to quality early childhood care and education in different countries
Effects of out-of-home care on young children
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
Teacher education and workforce preparation
Introduction to prominent local and international ECCE professional organisations and their resour

Learning Outcome

Discuss paradigmatic differences in views of childhood and ECCE in the international context
Describe the types and purposes of ECCE provisions in Singapore in relation to the government’s policy stance on ECCE
Locate the role of ECCE educators within Singapore’s social milieu vis-à-vis that in other nations
Respond to the articles in the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
Analyse aspects of early childhood educators’ work
Interpret children’s issues presented in local media using the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child