Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academies, a national early education franchise, is introducing a new curriculum for early learners aged three to five that incorporates science, technology, engineering, and art instruction through play.

Called 'STEAM Ahead,' the curriculum is in line with the latest research that indicates getting children learning early while not forgetting about the importance of play leads to achievement success; with a focus on STEM subjects, it is also a move to get young learners interested in the four in-demand fields.

The curriculum's focus on STEM education is in an attempt to get children interested in the four subjects early as demand for jobs in the fields grow but are slow to be filled because of a lack of workers with an appropriate educational background.

"Across the country, there are 3.6 people for every one job, but in the STEM fields, there is one person for every 1.9 jobs, indicating a real need for people with an educational background in these four core areas," the company said in a statement.

But the curriculum is also well-rounded, including a focus on both art and play to give early learners the most complete education as possible.

"We've based the curriculum on the work of educational theorists like Lev Vygotsky and Jean Piaget, who believe strongly that children learn more through play; and we've created high-quality learning environments that provide students with opportunities to observe, question, investigate, predict, build and share what they learn," said Troyann Hogans, a Kids 'R' Kids educational specialist and one of the three primary authors of the curriculum in the statement.

Currently, Kids 'R' Kids provides education and care for 160 schools in 15 states throughout the country and has been in practice for over thirty years. This new curriculum will be applied to all of the company's 160 learning academies.

"As we approach the back-to-school season, we are excited to offer this unique curriculum that encourages students at a very young age to be natural scientists by using reasoning, hypothesizing, predicting and theorizing while they play," said David Vinson, chief executive officer, Kids 'R' Kids, Inc.

To learn more about Kids 'R' Kids 'STEAM Ahead' project, check it out here. Comment your thoughts in the comment section below.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

07/08/2015