Early childhood education and development in Mexico

This chapter discusses the current research agenda in early childhood education in Mexico and reviews research pointing to the pedagogical challenges the country faces at the present time. A historical account of early childhood in Mexico is also discussed to unpack the educational institutions in which families, children, and educators participate in. The curriculum models currently used in early childhood are further analyzed within a historical frame to better grasp what the society in Mexico has valued. These values are translated into children’s development of cognitive skills, as is the case, for example, of oral traditions. Throughout the chapter it is discussed how language and communication has been a strong emphasis in early childhood education, in specific in the preschool years. However, there are still relevant situations that have not been thoroughly studied, such as cultural variations in language or how to make connections between home and schools to increase children’s oral language development. Another finding discussed in this chapter is the role of play in Mexican early childhood education. Some of the challenges found are how educators can develop pedagogical strategies that can be used to improve literacy development and how play can be seen as an important strategy for children’s learning. All these dimensions also need to be considered when studying a very complex society in Mexico’s diverse rural, urban, and indigenous communities.