Explaining STEM Education And Its Importance

Some out there (likely without kids of their own) have a misconception that pre-kindergarten education isn’t incredibly important. What could children learn at such a young age anyway? Shouldn’t they just be playing and having fun? Of course they should be having fun, but the reality is, early childhood education is crucial to their development. Everything that they are learning before kindergarten will become the foundation of how they learn and handle their classes in their future. If they don’t have a solid educational base, their classes will be intimidating to them and they may find themselves behind their classmates.

Here at Compass Early Learning, we want to help. We not only provide unparalleled child care so that your child is safe and comfortable when you are away, but we are also proud to include a STEM curriculum in our teachings. But what exactly is STEM and why is it important? That’s what we will be discussing in the blog post! If you have any questions or you are looking to enroll your little adventurer in our child care center in Blaine or Coon Rapids, then go ahead and contact us today!

What Is STEM?
It is unlikely that you haven’t heard someone reference STEM education or have seen toys labeled as “STEM toys,” but unless your child has already been a part of a STEM program, you probably have some questions about what it really is. To simplify the program’s focus as much as possible, you can look at the words that make up the acronym: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. 

The world that we live in is constantly evolving, and these four topics are at the forefront of innovation. Science is all around us, technology obviously plays an important role in our lives, engineering is the reason that we have roads, bridges, and even spacecraft, and mathematics are involved in nearly every single occupation and everyday tasks. STEM-based education programs are designed to provide students the tools that they need to succeed in the future. It involves hands-on activities as well as letting the young ones gain real-world knowledge in their classes. 

However, STEM education is so much more than that! At our child care center, we provide a fun and educational environment that encourages the children to be observant and ask questions about the world and how things work. This is so pivotal to their early childhood education and will help them to be one step ahead in their lives. We’ve said it before and, more than likely, we’ll say it again, but the children are our future, and giving them 21st-century tools and knowledge will be so critical for them. The following quote from the National Science Foundation hits the nail on the head:

“In the 21st century, scientific and technological innovations have become increasingly important as we face the benefits and challenges of both globalization and a knowledge-based economy. To succeed in this new information-based and highly technological society, students need to develop their capabilities in STEM to levels much beyond what was considered acceptable in the past.”

What Are The Benefits For Your Child
There are so many benefits that come with enrolling your child in a STEM program. This is the reason that it is increasing in popularity year after year and more and more schools and child care centers are adding it into their curriculum. Here are just a few of the nearly endless benefits of STEM education:
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• Builds Curiosity and Enhances Creativity – Without creativity, the world would be a pretty sad and boring place. All of the greatest innovations required a certain level of curiosity and a fair share of creativity. Through their STEM classes, your child will learn the importance of asking questions and realizing life is a pretty fascinating and wondrous thing.
• Helps Them With Their Problem-Solving Skills – It’s just a fact of life that we will encounter problems, but how you solve them is what is really important. STEM teaches students how to take a step back, examine the issue at hand, and figure out what they can do to resolve the problem.
• Encourages Teamwork – In our classes, your child will work with their peers to solve problems, record data, experiment, present their findings, etc. A big part of STEM programs is encouraging them to work with others which will help them realize how important it is to be team-oriented.
• Brighter Future – For a while, it seemed like the U.S. was falling behind when it came to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics when compared to other countries. The goal is to help them become the leaders of our future.
• It’s Fun! – While schoolwork is not often considered to be “fun”, that simply isn’t the case with our STEM program. Your child will love the different experiments, activities, problem-solving and more that they will experience at our child care facility. 

STEM Education Doesn’t Have To Stay In The Classroom
The things that your child will learn through our STEM curriculum will travel with them wherever they go, and the best part is, you can help them with it and learn a thing or two yourself! Try adding some STEM activities to your time at home and when you’re out on an adventure. If you would like to learn more or are raring to sign them up for our child care center in Blaine and Coon Rapids, then simply give us a call today!