 Early Age Education (PAUD, Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini) is a preschool that helps less fortunate people to educate their children freely. Students of SMA N I Ciampea, Bogor, West Java, with the permission of their teachers and guidance from P2SDM IPB and Damandiri Foundation, successfully develop PAUD in their neighborhood. This activity is not only good for the people there but also for the school and their students.
“The students’ task is only to summon village inhabitants, provide consultation, train, motivate and donate material needed by PAUD,” stated the vice principal in the public relations section, Srie Hartatie Mulya, SPd.
PAUD is an effort to educate children from when they are born until six years of age. They prepare the pupils mentally and physically so that they will ready to face the next step of their education. You can not belittle PAUD since the pupil’s age is a golden moment when brain develops rapidly so that we may not waste the moment.
“With aid from P2SDM IPB and 10 students form OSIS members, SMA N I Ciampea organizes PAUD consultations at Gunung Leutik village Posdaya to several people chosen by the head of village. They are informed about how PAUD is important, and so is nutrition, and how to educate, to give care and to use educative toys. A good command of the knowledge for the pupils is still the main purpose. Yet the way you teach the knowledge is different,” stated Hartati.
Playing is one of activities that dominate in the informal PAUD. Playing is supposed to be fun without expecting the end result. Many parents think that too much playing can result in laziness and dullness. This idea is not totally correct as several psychologists state that playing has significant influence on a child’s soul development. They keep developing this concept in PAUD to grow better character. PAUD changes children who are depressed, shy, unconfident and naughty into creative, happy, brave, confident and gentle.
Sri Hartati explained that informal PAUD functions well since it is conducted by the people to their own youngsters. She likes to push the establishment of more PAUD everywhere and hopes for more attention from the government.
“To grow more informal PAUD we need professional teachers that have teaching certificates from attending educational training.”
The government cannot build enough kindergartens and play groups so that PAUD helps to house the children who need education. PAUD socialization has to be done so that people know about them.
During PAUD training using limited toys and other materials, students of SMA N I Ciampea didn’t have many difficulties. Every obstacle was solved creatively. “The hardest obstacle was that the PAUD location that is far enough from their school while they had to prepare for their own examination of PMDK,” said Hartati. She hopes that people can be more concerned and become involved in this activity. |
