Child Care Services

Child Care Services, that include first, custodial services concerning health, hygiene and safety of children, second, child development services covering socialization, language skill and personality development and third, pre-school services ranging from informal learning to formal educational preparatory learning from elementary schools, was appeared to be initiated in France in 1770 in the name of “Salles d’asile” (asylum room) for serving the interest of working women. Along with custodial services, academic subjects such as reading and doing arithmetic, performing singing and drawing as extra-curricular activities were being taught in order to bring order, discipline and obedience to instructions among children (Pougatch-Zalcman, 1980) . This approach of “Salles d’asile” was immediately accepted by the French society and grew in hundreds throughout France. However, in 1848 “Salles d’asile” was transformed to “Ecole maternelle” (nursery school) not only by changing the name but also by changing the initial focus or objectives from safety and protection for accessible education for all children regardless of their origin, and hence created an equal opportunity in education for the entire population.

Another milestone was achieved in 1837 when Friedrich Froebel founded his own school in Germany and named it “Kindergarten” or the children’s garden. Prior to Froebel’s Kindergarten, children under the age of seven did not attend school as it was thought that children below that age lacked the ability to focus or to develop cognitive and emotional skills. Froebel, on the other hand, promoted his school for children six and below and expressed his beliefs as because learning begins when consciousness erupts, and education must a...

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...ot an issue to consider and children used to play games as an adult did. They also worked in work places suitable for adults only. However, the concept of childhood emerged in the aftermath of the intellectual and religious changes that occurred in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Changes due to Renaissance and Protestant Reformation helped to recognize child as an “innocent” and realized that children should be protected from the harsh influences of the world.

The development process is basically influenced by two factors – heredity and environment. However, there is another important factor that evolved due to interaction between heredity and environment and this factor helps to develop personality.

Personality is a unique pattern of behavior and mental process that characterizes an individual and the individual’s interaction with the environment.