Early childhood education in Korea

This chapter discusses the current state of early childhood education in Korea (Korea in this chapter refers only to South Korea) and addresses socio-historical factors that have contributed to the development of early childhood education in the Korean context. Specifically, it highlights conceptual frameworks on the cultural values and practices within families that have influenced the growth of early childhood education in Korea. It then discusses common curricular models and approaches to early childhood education in Korea, drawing on research studies to illustrate best practices and assessment of programmatic goals. It further discusses early childhood teacher training programs and provides policy implications and future directions that are relevant to early childhood development and education, and early childhood teacher training.