ECE 4 - Unit 1: Foundations of Early Childhood Education

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions, thinkers, historical milestones, Philippine laws, and concepts in early childhood education.

ECE (Early Childhood Education)

Educational programs and learning experiences given to young children from birth to age 8, focusing on learning, school readiness, cognitive development, and developmentally appropriate practice.

ECCE (Early Childhood Care and Education)

A broader term that joins care (health, nutrition, protection) with education for children from birth to age 8, emphasizing holistic well-being and lifelong learning.

ECCD (Early Childhood Care and Development)

The Philippine term used in RA 8980 and RA 12199 covering the full range of health, nutrition, early education, and social services for children aged 0–8.

ECCD Council

The Philippine national body overseeing early childhood care and development programs for ages 0–5, transferred under the DILG by RA 12199.

Department of Education (DepEd)

The Philippine government agency responsible for ECE coverage for children aged 5–8, including mandatory Kindergarten and early primary grades (Grades 1–2).

Child Development Center (CDC)

A barangay-level facility providing structured early learning, socialization, early stimulation, and school readiness for young children.

Child Development Teacher (CDT)

A degree-holding, licensed professional who plans and implements developmentally appropriate activities for children ages 0–5 in center-based settings such as CDCs.

Child Development Worker (CDW)

A community-based paraprofessional supporting child care and development at the barangay level under CDT supervision, often in home-based or community programs.

Kindergarten Teacher

A licensed DepEd teacher handling the formal education of children ages 5–6 and implementing the MATATAG Kindergarten Curriculum.

John Amos Comenius

17th-century educator (1658) who advocated for universal education and published Orbis Pictus, utilizing pictures and concrete experiences to teach children.

John Locke

Philosopher who proposed the concept of tabula rasa (blank slate) in 1693, asserting that children are born without innate ideas and are shaped by sensory experience and nurture.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Author of Émile (1762) who championed the intrinsic worth of childhood, advocating for learning through nature and protecting children from premature instruction.

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi

Educational pioneer who advocated for holistic education integrating head, heart, and hands, stressing observation, direct experience, and parents as first educators.

Robert Owen

Social reformer who established infant schools in New Lanark (1816) for factory workers' children, demonstrating that environment shapes character and using early education for social reform.

Friedrich Froebel

Founder of the first kindergarten ('garden of children') in 1837, who introduced play as purposeful learning, structured materials (gifts and occupations), and systematic teacher training.

Maria Montessori

Physician and educator who introduced child-directed learning in a prepared environment (1907), utilizing self-correcting sensorial materials, mixed-age groupings, and freedom within limits.

John Dewey

Philosopher and educator who promoted progressive education, learning by doing, inquiry-based learning, democratic education, and viewing the school as a community.

Bank Street Model

An ECE program model established in 1916 based on a developmental-interaction approach rooted in progressive education, play, direct experience, and social interaction.

Waldorf / Steiner Approach

An ECE model created in 1919 focusing on whole-child development through arts, rhythm, and imagination, delaying formal academic instruction until age 7.

Reggio Emilia Approach

An Italian approach developed in 1945 that views the child as a capable constructor of knowledge, emphasizing project-based learning, documentation, and the environment as the 'third teacher.'

HighScope Model

An evidence-based ECE program model created in the 1960s driven by the Plan-Do-Review cycle and guided key developmental indicators to foster active learning.

Head Start

A federally funded comprehensive US program launched in 1965 providing health, nutrition, family support, and school readiness services for low-income children ages 0–5.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)

A global treaty ratified by 196 countries establishing fundamental rights for children, including rights to survival, development, and education.

Sustainable Development Goal 4.2 (SDG 4.2)

A UN target established in 2015 calling for all girls and boys to have access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-primary education by 2030.

Cartilla

An early childhood reading primer introduced by Spanish missionaries in the Philippines to teach basic literacy and Christian doctrine.

Pagina de la Infancia

An early childhood reading material introduced during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines.

Educational Decree of 1863

A Spanish colonial decree establishing a system of primary schools in every town in the Philippines and mandating education for both boys and girls.

Philippine Normal School (1901)

An institution established during the American period to train teachers, laying the foundation for formal early childhood teacher education in the Philippines.

Insular School for the Deaf and Blind (1907)

A school established during the American period in the Philippines to extend early education access to children with special needs.

Harris Memorial School (1924)

The school that established the first recognized teacher training course for early childhood educators in the Philippines.

Children's Village (1964)

A model community-based facility in the Philippines providing integrated health, nutrition, and early education services, serving as a forerunner to modern CDCs.

PD 603 (1974)

The Child and Youth Welfare Code, which established the legal framework for the protection, care, and development of Filipino children.

Dr. Miguela M. Solis

A pioneering advocate for early childhood development in the Philippines who championed community-based ECE programs, policy development, and CDW training.

RA 6972 (1990)

The Barangay-Level Total Development and Protection of Children Act, establishing community-based daycare and child care centers in every barangay.

RA 8980 (2000)

The ECCD Act, which created the first comprehensive Early Childhood Care and Development national framework and established the ECCD Council.

RA 10157 (2012)

The Kindergarten Education Act, which made one year of kindergarten mandatory and compulsory in public schools as a prerequisite for Grade 1.

RA 10533 (2013)

The Enhanced Basic Education Act, enacting the comprehensive K-12 education reform in the Philippines.

RA 10410 (2013)

The Early Years Act, which strengthened the ECCD system for children ages 0–8 (later repealed by RA 12199).

RA 11148 (2018)

The Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act, focusing on healthcare and nutrition for mothers and children during the first 1,000 days.

RA 11650 (2022)

The Inclusive Education Act, establishing rights and services for learners with disabilities in the Philippine education system.

RA 11908 (2022)

The Child Care Act, regulating and standardizing child care facilities across the Philippines.

RA 12199 (2025)

The ECCD System Act, landmark law that sets ECE scope to ages 0–8, transfers the ECCD Council under DILG, repeals RA 10410, and professionalizes CDTs and CDWs with plantilla positions.

MATATAG Kindergarten Curriculum

A DepEd curriculum introduced by DepEd Order No. 10, s. 2024 to strengthen play-based, developmentally appropriate instruction for 5-year-olds.

Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)

An educational framework matching teaching strategies and learning activities to children's age, individual developmental needs, and cultural background.

Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE)

An educational approach using the child's native language as the primary medium of instruction to establish strong early literacy foundations.

Scaffolding

Temporary support provided by a teacher or more knowledgeable other during learning, gradually removed as the child develops independent mastery.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Vygotsky's concept describing the distance between what a child can accomplish independently and what they can achieve with guidance or collaboration.

Stunting

Low height for age caused by chronic malnutrition; affects 1 in 3 Filipino children and severely impacts cognitive and physical development.