Authored and Photographed by: Li Rongmei, Trainer, Kunming Office

From October 22 to 26, 2025, the Scientific Parenting and Early Childhood Education Project held a five-day instructor capacity-building activity in Kunming. With the core objective of "enhancing professional practical skills for the education of infants and toddlers aged 0-3," this activity adopted an innovative model of "on-the-job internship + centralized training." It provided a learning platform for the deep integration of theory and practice for seven instructors from Parenting and Play centers, enabling a joint exploration of localized approaches to scientific parenting.

On-the-Job Internship: Experiencing the Warmth of Early Education through Practice

At the outset, the seven instructors began a three-day on-the-job internship at the Nursery Demonstration Center of Kunming University. They fully immersed themselves in the nursery's daily routines, from morning arrival to afternoon activities, conducting comprehensive observations of care and educational practices for children aged 0-3.

During morning health checks and breakfast, the nuances of "responsive care giving" were seamlessly integrated. Tabletop Plays and picture book stories cleverly utilized local resources. Classroom environment setups and learning corner arrangements were tailored to infants' developmental characteristics. Even in tasks like assigning toy cleanup duties to children, the cultivation of rule awareness was embedded... Through observation, documentation, and guided reflection, the instructors not only gained a deep, practical understanding of the warmth inherent in the "integrated care and education" model but also clearly identified areas for improving their own professional skills, such as Play design and interactive guidance.

Thematic Training: Expert Guidance to Strengthen Professional Competence

The subsequent two-day centralized training focused on four key themes: Nursery Play Design, Responsive Care giving Strategies, Implementation of Early Picture Book Reading Activities, and Orff Music Education for 0-3-Year-Olds.

In the session on Nursery Play Design, the trainer demonstrated "N Ways to Play with a Single Sheet of Paper," inspiring instructors to explore the educational potential of resources around them. This highlighted that the essence of play lies not in "instruction" but in becoming an observant, supportive, and hands-off play partner.

Orff Music Education for 0-3-Year-Olds guided instructors to perceive contrasts in pitch through body percussion and simple instruments, emphasizing that the core of musical initiation is not to train professional musicians but to allow children to feel rhythm and express emotions through free movement.

In the segment on Implementing Early Picture Book Reading Activities, the concept of "From a Book to a World" helped instructors realize that picture books are not merely story vehicles but bridges connecting life and imagination. The value of early reading lies in igniting children's enthusiasm for exploring the world.

The theme of Responsive Care giving Strategies proposed the core idea that "Education + Nurturing = Early Education." Through video case studies and role-playing, it detailed practical steps: observing infants' facial expressions and movement cues, interpreting the developmental intentions behind their needs, and responding promptly with words or gestures of comfort—thereby translating the abstract principle of "respect for individual differences" into concrete, actionable care giving behaviors.

Through systematic lectures, case analyses, and scenario simulations, the expert team helped the instructors further develop a professional cognitive framework for "integrated care and education," building upon their internship experience to effectively translate practical insights into professional capability.

Empowering Growth: Safeguarding Children's Future with Professionalism

The entire activity followed the logical sequence of "practice–theory–practice." It not only deepened the instructors' understanding of scientific early education concepts but also significantly enhanced their professional adaptability and comprehensive intervention skills in real-world scenarios. This has laid a solid foundation for providing high-quality, localized parenting guidance at project activity centers and in family settings.

In the future, these instructors will return to their front-line positions enriched with insights and learning. They will empower family parenting with greater professional competence and jointly safeguard the unique growth journey of every child. This professional development endeavor is not merely a transfer of knowledge but also a relay of love.

Project Introduction:

The Tengchong Scientific Parenting and Early Childhood Education Project is supported by the GenWell Foundation, Evergreen Education Foundation, Yao Han Charity Fund, Dr. Engel, and Mrs. An Yiyi. Collaborating with the Tengchong Women’s Federation and Bureau of Education and Sports, the project establishes village-level children's centers, recruits parenting and play instructors, and provides training to promote scientific parenting concepts and skills, enhance community family education guidance services, strengthen scientific parenting publicity and guidance, promote family education development and children’s healthy growth, and achieve sustainable development for rural 0-4-year-old children.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and have nothing to do with the position of the funder.