A Study of Childhood Care and Pre School Education System in India

India has a long tradition of valuing in the early years of a child‟s life. It has a rich heritage of cultural practices for stimulating the child‟s all-round development and inculcating values and social skills in young children. And these shared childcare and child-rearing practices were passed on from one generation to another. This early childhood education and care practices were primarily set in the context of a joint family system. However, the family structure in India has undergone major changes in the last three decades. Major socio-cultural changes that India has witnessed have necessitated a reevaluation of our approach to early childhood education and care. In contemporary urban India, a joint family has become a rarity. It is increasingly common to find families in which both the parents are working professionals. Parents raising their children in such nuclear families are dependent on childcare centres, preschool programs and other community-based early learning settings, for providing their children with a stimulating and nurturing learning environment. But completely relying on these support systems for your child‟s early development is not a wise idea. Parents should remember that early childhood development and education largely happens in the child‟s home. Parents being the primary caretakers have a vital role to play in the child‟s early development.