Recently we commissioned a survey of 2,000 U.S. parents of children ages 0-6 to find out what’s on their minds when it comes to early childhood education. The feedback provided by the parents was fascinating. Some of the results were surprising, such as 81% of parents wanting their children to learn “soft skills” like financial literacy and sewing/knitting in addition to academics. However, some of the most unified responses weren’t surprising at all to us at Sunshine Billingual® Educational Child Care. In fact, those opinions provided validation for some of the things we’ve focused on for years.
Social Issues Matter
Nine in 10 parents believe social issues, such as respecting cultural diversity and human rights, should be part of the early childhood curriculum. We agree. That’s why we introduced the Character Essentials® component of our curriculum in 2019.
Character Essentials is a comprehensive program offering support for the social and emotional development of children beginning in infancy and extending throughout their Sunshine Billingual years. Character Essentials reinforces our commitment to the development of the whole child.
Our talented educators are trained to weave in social-emotional learning strategies throughout the day and in their interactions with children. Each teacher is a role model for character education and every interaction provides an opportunity to model behaviors and traits for the children. By developing nurturing and supportive relationships with adults at this stage, young children learn about themselves and how to form positive, affirming relationships with others.
The survey also revealed that 79% of parents think it’s important that the companies they do business with aligns with their personal values. And 91% say they research a company’s corporate social responsibility efforts before purchasing from them. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a priority for Sunshine Billingual Educational Child Care. We actively engage in supporting non-profit organizations and individuals in need throughout the communities we serve. Recent CSR initiatives have included holiday toy, food and supply drives; providing grants to organizations that help create brighter futures for children and families; and paid time off so employees can volunteer their services to concerns in their communities.
Check out how Sunshine Billingual locations across the country celebrated Random Acts of Kindness Week.
Always Learning
Another strong desire parents shared was for learning to extend beyond the walls of the classroom. Ninety-two percent of respondents believe their children should be encouraged to develop a curiosity for academic learning that reaches into the home. Again, we couldn’t agree more. Our own research tells us that the highest quality education programs foster a school-to-home learning connection.
That’s a concept we’ve promoted openly for the past several years with our Learn On approach. Learn On is all about blending education with fun to spark a passion for learning that children carry with them wherever they go, for the rest of their lives. We want to be a catalyst for learning, offering opportunities and motivation so that children can act on their natural tendencies toward curiosity and discovery. When we inspire them to develop their sense of wonder, they take it with them from the Academy into their homes and communities.
Our thanks to all the parents who participated in the survey. We love finding out what’s important to you. Does that mean you’ll walk into one of the Academies soon and find children sitting in a sewing circle or learning to prepare taxes? Well, perhaps. But you will find them learning how to work together, developing the passion and skills they need to learn and succeed in school and life.
