History of Early childhood education in Zambia.
Early childhood education was in existence in Zambia before independence, but it only became mandatory in mainstream education around 2014. Early Childhood Education was a component of schooling before independence, under Sub O education, offered for one year and involved learning to write letters of the alphabet.
After Zambia’s independence in 1964, nurseries were placed under the Ministry of Local Government and Housing in community structures called welfare halls. In 1972, The Zambia Pre-school Association was established as a coordinating body separate from the government. In 2011,
The government officially adopted Early Childhood Care, Development and Education as part of mainstream education and In 2014, it was incorporated into government primary schools by the Ministry of General Education. Early Childhood Care, Development, and Education is a major factor that determines a child's performance and progress at a later stage in life. In 2014, Zambia commenced with the provision of early childhood education in Government schools after its integration into the education curriculum in the year 2011.
Early Childhood Care, Development and Education
- Duration of study: 2 years
- Ages : 3-5 years
- Primary Languages: English
- Terms : 3 (1st term-January to early April, 2nd Term-May to August, and 3rd Term September to December)
- Admission Term: 1st Term (January)
- ECD School Types: Public, Community, and Private.
Early Childhood Care, Development and Education cater for two broad levels including Day Care which caters to children aged 0-2 years, and Early Childhood Education for the ages of 3 to 4 and 5 to 6 years. These are nursery schools and reception. nursery schools cater to learners aged 3 to 4 years and aim to develop them socially, physically, mentally, and emotionally through the promotion of social interaction and fun and play.
The Reception level caters to learners aged 5 to 6 years and is a preparatory stage for entry into Grade 1 or mainstream education. teaching and learning at this level is largely informal and is done through guided and unguided play with formal teaching. The curriculum here focuses on play and pre-learning activities such as Social Studies, Environmental Science, Pre- Literacy and Language, Pre- Mathematics, and Expressive Arts.
The following are some of the international schools which offer the best ECD education in Zambia and which enroll both locals, international students.
Cherry Hills Pre-school and Day-care
This is an international school located in Rhodespark, and catering for children aged 2 to 5 years. This school maintains a high standard of education, and provides excellent care, at affordable fees. The school offers both a standard program and a full-day program, and also offers after-school care for children aged up to 8 years.
- Address: No. 38, Joseph Mwilwa Road, Rhodespark, Lusaka, Zambia
- Established: 2017
- Student Population: 40+
- Opening hours: 06:30 - 16:00, Monday to Friday
- Tuition Fees Range: K5 400- K6 000 (standard program)
The school uses a play-based approach in teaching provides a child-centered curriculum which to encourage children to explore and become independent thinkers and learners using the knowledge they have acquired. The experienced teachers use innovation and fun to assist the children to learn comfortably and show confidence and learn through working and playing as groups.
Chery hills aim to provide a high-quality education that enables the children to discover, communicate and learn to express themselves by providing a welcoming, stimulating, exciting, safe, secure, clean, warm and nurturing, and play-based environment. The school offers facilities such as:
- Spacious self-contained classrooms
- Air-conditioning
- A Nap Room equipped with a First Aid Kit
- Media Room
- An Outdoor Play Area
- A Kitchen
Little Legends Pre and Primary School
This is a Zambian-run daycare, pre and primary school located in Roma, and Chelstone, Zambia. The school aims to provide international care and education at an affordable price, offer a healthy, safe, and welcoming environment, and Provide indoor and outdoor learning environments that are developmentally appropriate and that encourage children's social, emotional, physical, and cognitive growth.
- Address: Roma Campus- Plot 6523 Kasangula Rd, Acacia Campus- 2 Poinsettia Avenue Lusaka
- Established: 2014
- Opening hours: 6:30 – 17.30, Monday to Friday
- Tuition Fees Range: K5 800+
The Daycare section here caters to children from the age of 14 months to 2 years. It provides care for children who have working parents. The pre-school caters to children from the ages of 3 to 5. The school’s curriculum offers a well-balanced combination of classroom learning, outdoor play, and hands-on experience. It is based on the children’s developmental needs and interests. The pre-school aims to prepare students for the first grade. Children also learn to work together in groups, on various skills and concepts. Children get to explore in areas including Books and Writing, Science, Cooking, Dramatic Play, Blocks and Puzzles, and Sensory areas (sand and water play).
The preschool program teaches children, among other things, to be able to:
- identify sounds in a word
- pay attention
- engage in conversations with adults and other children using a greater variety of words
- control impulses with little or no adult reminders
- play with other children and be able to resolve disagreements with little help from adults
- trace letters and simple shapes while also showing signs of a right- or left-hand preference
- gain independence with self-care skills including undressing to use the toilet and remember to wash hands
- connect number words and numerals to the quantities represented
Tuition and fees- the following are the fees for the Day Care and Pre-School
- Registration fee for all children- K1000
- Placement Test Preschool- K150
- Infant and Toddlers- K5 940 per term.
- Preschool- K5 860 per term
- Legend Club- April and September Only (School Holiday Program) - K1 500
International School of Lusaka
This is a school located in Lusaka. It offers education from early childhood education up to high school. The school’s Early Years Department offers a dynamic educational Programme for children aged 2 to 7 years in spacious and well-resourced classrooms are. The curriculum here focuses on areas including mathematics, language and literacy, social studies, science and technology, personal and social education, art, and drama.
- Address: 6945 Nangwenya Road, PO Box 50121, Ridgeway, Lusaka, Zambia
- Accreditation: Cambridge, International Baccalaureate, the council of international schools, independent schools o Zambia.
The curriculum centers on learning and teaching that is designed to develop students in various areas. These include play, relationships, learning spaces, and symbolic exploration and expression. The specially trained teachers here promote and facilitate play through creating and maintaining engaging learning spaces, scheduling uninterrupted playtime indoors and outdoors, noticing and responding to students' emerging thinking processes, interests, and theories to extend learning, monitoring and documenting students' learning and development through play.
Teaching and learning here also aim to promote relationships through establishing relationships with families the foundations of which expand when students enter school.
Teachers support the development of relationships through regular conversations with parents and guardians, acknowledging and respecting each student's individuality, connecting with individual students through conversations, and acknowledgments, recognizing opportunities for students to learn on their own during play, and offer support and feedback, allowing children to work in groups to promote relationships and working together.
Teachers strive to create safe, stimulating, and inviting learning spaces through arranging and rearranging learning materials, offering a range of learning materials, allowing students to take part in the designing and construction of play areas, and creating displays that bring out the best learning experience for the students.
Teaching here also allows children to learn Effective language and mathematics learning. It allows students to gain an understanding of language and mathematics through creative strategies such as Games, rhymes, poems, and stories, play, conversation, mark-making, drawing, problem-solving, reasoning, counting, and patterns.
