5 of Our Favorite K-12 Child Care Trends to Watch

Although trends typically come and go, some lead to innovation. With the many challenges felt by the child care industry over the past few years, it should be no surprise that emerging trends have come to the surface and enhanced child care services. In this article, we will look at five significant trends and review a handful of honorable mentions.

Implementing The Gamification Technique To Learning

We all know that when learning is fun, we tend to pick up knowledge a bit faster. This is where the use of gamification has proven successful as a teaching technique. Essentially, gamification is the incorporation of video game design and game elements into learning. The process has proven to motivate students where they can autonomously display competence. Other benefits of using the gamification teaching technique include higher engagement and competition in the classroom, and improved adolescent cognitive development.

The K-12 Digital Education Concept

New technology has changed the way we do many things. It has also opened several doors to various tools within the education system. It is because of the digital revolution that the K-12 education system was created, and it has since increased in popularity in the US, Canada, and Europe. In simple terms, the K-12 education system educates children differently than conventional teaching. For starters, there is more teacher-student communication. Within that communication link is the opportunity for more question-and-answer sessions. Next, the communication link provides for personalized assignment development to promote higher learning habits in students. Finally, students design assignments through research and their personal viewpoint making this learning model more efficient than traditional teaching methods.

An Increase in STEAM-Based Programs

Speaking of different learning tools, a STEAM-based curriculum is gaining steam in today’s classroom. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math, and is a teaching method that permits greater creativity. STEAM helps students to develop skills they will need later in life, regardless of the career path that they choose. Continuing the ongoing use of STEAM in schools is supported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projection that STEAM-based occupations will grow by 8 percent, by the year 2029. That compares to 3.4 percent growth for non-STEAM-based occupations in the same period. Part of the attraction to a STEAM-based curriculum is how it teaches students subjects and how they learn to experiment, ask questions, and use innovation and creation to achieve results.

The Pandemic Introduces Distance and Hybrid Learning

Education technology came to the forefront during the pandemic. With schools, child care centers, and family child care providers closed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, and social distancing becoming the norm, teaching methods adapted. Distance learning permits students who are either ill, or unable to attend regular classes, to remotely participate in the classroom. With video conferencing tools like Zoom, offsite students can still participate. Hybrid learning combines online with in-person learning. In other words, students spend some time in the classroom, and when they are not physically in the classroom, they can remotely join.

A Learning Model That Uses a Subscription Base

The pandemic gets credit for changing the learning landscape in many different ways. Between 2020 and 2022, several subscription-based platforms emerged. The learning models came with promises of providing a quality education for children. To show how much the e-learning market has grown, it passed the $315 billion mark in 2021 and experts have given it a growth rate of 20 percent between 2022 and 2028. How exactly does a subscription-based model work for learning? It’s simple. Students pay a monthly or annual fee to access learning materials online. Fees can vary from study tools to online courses. A subscription-based model is also flexible, making it convenient for a variety of students to use.

Honorable Mentions

Technology in the Classroom

We’ve already touched on it as a learning tool, but technology in the classroom also encompasses communication tools. These tools permit parents to either monitor what is going on in the classroom via video cameras, or gives them the means to contact teachers via text messaging or email platforms. 

Flexibility in Hours of Operation

Working parents have seen a lot of changes to their workplaces following the peak of the pandemic. Working from home and hybrid work weeks have become an alternative to the typical 9-to-5 schedule. For parents in need of child care services for just one, two, or three days a week instead of a full five-day schedule, child care providers have changed their delivery methods to accommodate these changes. Some also offer child care to meet shift hours that fall outside of a normal work day.

Better Health and Safety Protocols

One more carryover from the pandemic is a greater focus on health and safety in the classroom. This has taken many forms, ranging from contactless check-ins and check-outs, to temperature checks and health questionnaires. Plus, teachers are spending more time cleaning and disinfecting surfaces in the classroom to keep the spaces safe for them and their students. Parents are also expected to accept this initiative by being honest about the health of their children, and not permitting them to be around others if they show any symptoms of illness.

Final Thoughts

Educators are always working on ways to make learning fun and exciting. New trends in teaching in recent years have embraced technology which has spawned many different learning tools. The pandemic showed us that with technology, teaching students from preschool to grade 12 can be somewhat easier and a great deal more efficient. While most of these new tools make teaching a bit easier for educators, they still have other tasks within the classroom to maintain to keep the setting safe for all who use it. Thankfully, technology has introduced ways of learning that excite children and increase engagement, which ensures greater outcomes. When you consider the types of careers that rely on technology, it is advantageous that children are exposed to its endless capabilities early on in their educational journey.

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Sandra Chiu works as Director at LadyBug & Friends Daycare and Preschool.