Message from the Head of Department

To touch a child’s life is not only to give them new knowledge and skills; it is to support their curiosity, to open space for them to discover themselves and the world, and to accompany the foundations of what kind of individual they will become. The decisive role of the experiences gained in the first years of life on development and learning makes preschool teaching a profession that carries great responsibility and is, at the same time, extremely valuable. As the Department of Early Childhood Education of Hasan Kalyoncu University, we place the child and the child’s best interests at the center of our understanding of education, with awareness of this responsibility.

Today, teaching means far more than transmitting information. We need teachers who can guide children to ask questions, research, produce, think in different ways, and become active parts of their own learning. For this reason, we want our teacher candidates to grow into educators who have strong field and professional knowledge, who can think critically and creatively, who research and question, who transfer scientific knowledge to educational practice, who use technology consciously and ethically, and who follow the needs of a changing world.

The understanding of education we adopt in our Department is based on integrating theory with practice. We aim for our teacher candidates to use the knowledge they gain at the university not only to learn, but also to observe children, evaluate educational environments, design quality learning experiences, and develop scientific and creative solutions to the problems they encounter. Because we believe that a qualified teacher is an educator who knows not only what to do, but also why and how to do it.

We also believe that university education is not only a process that provides professional competence. We value our students’ development as individuals who respect children’s rights and individual differences, who are committed to ethical values, who are aware of their social responsibilities, who are open to collaboration and who embrace lifelong learning. Through our scientific research, projects, practices and work with our stakeholders, we also continue to contribute to improving the quality of early childhood education and to making scientific contributions to the field.

Just as every child has the right to access quality education, we believe every child should encounter a qualified teacher. Therefore, we see the years you will spend in the Department of Early Childhood Education not only as a process of earning a diploma, but as a journey of development in which you will discover what kind of teacher you want to be, think, question, produce and build your own understanding of teaching.

Our greatest goal is for you to graduate at the end of this journey as teachers who keep children’s curiosity alive, who hear their voices, who recognize their potential, and who leave valuable traces on each child’s development.