Main Article Content

Abstract

Playing has an important role in young childrens development, especially in developing self-regulation, language, cognition, and social competence. Through play, children develop self-regulation, language, cognition, and social competence, which increases their motivation and affects their learning. Therefore, play-based curriculum is currently widely used in early childhood programs. In such curriculum, play is seen as an integral part of children's lives, and that each child has their own unique interests and needs.

The Directorate of Early Childhood Education Development introduced the Beyond Centers and Circle Time (BCCT) curriculum in 2004. It is a play-based curriculum which employs some learning centers and four kinds of scaffolding in order to support children's holistic development. It is also child-centered and aligned with the basic principles of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP).

The Indonesian government realizes that early childhood programs have a pivotal role in preparing children for their future and academic lives. Consequently, strategies are needed to improve the quality of early childhood education in Indonesia and support learning process of young children. The implementation of BCCT is in fact an effort to achieve these goals. This study aims to provide a short review of the implementation of BCCT in early childhood programs in Indonesia, as well as its advantages and challenges.

Keywords

play-based curriculum beyond centers circle time early childhood program

Article Details

How to Cite
Hartini, T. (2016). The Implementation of Beyond Centers and Circle Time (BCCT) in Early Childhood Programs in Indonesia. Proceedings of Indonesia Focus, 1(1). Retrieved from https://procournal.indonesiafocus.net/PIF/article/view/7