China Aspires to Emulate U.S. Preschools

    WOODBRIDGE, VA, October 16, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Although there is debate in American educational circles about the quality of preschool programs in the U.S, an August visit to China by Early Childhood Education Expert Rosemary Burton shows China seeks to emulate the creativity taught in U.S. preschools.

Each year, Dr. Burton, Vice President of Accreditation and Industry Relations for Minnieland Academy, visits China to train and consult with teachers and principals on how American preschools operate. In August, she led a weeklong seminar on western early childhood methods in Beijing for principals, preschool owners and government officials from across China. Dr. Burton lectured on topics including child development theory, program evaluation tools, teacher training and supervision, child assessment, parent involvement strategies, and curriculum approaches that promote higher order thinking skills.

"I spoke to a full house of interested early childhood experts who wanted to know how American children are taught to be creative, thoughtful problem-solvers," Dr. Burton says. "They wanted to know how to set up a program to help children learn to collaborate with others and to really understand how to complete a project, not just memorize facts."

"The Chinese educators know how to get children to do well on tests," Dr. Burton says. "They wanted to know how we get children to think. They have seen our children grow up to build new technology, start new multinational corporations, and create great works of art on the movie screen. They send their children to American universities to get this knowledge but are seeing their children struggling with the types of assignments required in American universities."

Chinese parents and government officials "want more for their children than just A's on tests. They want children who know how to use their knowledge to advance the interests of their communities, to create their own uniquely Chinese technology and art," Dr. Burton says.

In her visits, Dr. Burton shares how teachers, principals, government officials and administrators can create early childhood education programs that use American methodology and involve parents. In January she will return to China to follow up with education ministers of Hong Kong and Hunan Province. Her goal is to share American skills for teaching children through play, teamwork, and interactions that encourage independence, collaboration and creativity.

Rosemary Burton, Ph.D., has over 30 years of experience developing training, curriculum and standards in early childhood education. Dr. Burton is Vice President of Accreditation and Industry Relations for Minnieland Academy, which provides quality education and childcare at 60 locations in Northern Virginia. For more information, visit the online press kit at www.Minnieland.OnlinePressKit247.com and the public site www.Minnieland.com.

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