The School of Early Childhood Education (hereinafter the School), formally established in November, 2011, inherits and carries forward the heritage and tradition of Zhejiang Yanzhou Normal School founded in 1916 and Xianghu Normal School of Zhejiang Province founded in 1928 by Mr. Tao Xingzhi.
Approved by the Education Department of Zhejiang Province and the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, the School started its major of Early Childhood Education (teacher training) in 2012. It is a key major of Hangzhou Polytechnic, a mainly supported major of Hangzhou, a major in particular need of production-education integration of Hangzhou municipal higher education institutions, a Special Major of the 13th Five-Year Plan of Zhejiang vocational colleges as well as the 13th Five-Year Plan Normal Education Innovation Project of Zhejiang Province. The School currently provides a series of majors on Early Childhood Education in terms of various modes, including teacher training，jobs-oriented mode，Hangzhou Polytechnic – Unitec （New Zealand）Joint Program, guidance on Children’s Art, and higher vocational education period for the five-year program integrating middle and higher vocational education. It has 1,150 full time students and 149 students have been enrolled for the newly-launched Early Education since 2018. In 2021, Infant Care Services & Management major has been established.
Located in Hangzhou, targeting Zhejiang Province and neighboring provinces and cities, the School focuses on Early Childhood Education and provides a specialty group on preschool education and service with the characteristics of early education and art education.
Adhering to the basic concept of educating people with a practical orientation, the School of Early Childhood Education upholds Tao Xingzhi’s educational philosophy of being a real person and teaching people to seek the truth. It adopts Xingzhi Culture as the guide, takes the culture of love as the core to pass on the 100-year teacher education spirit, integrates the concept of modern vocational education, and actively guides students to learn to know, learn to do, learn to live, and learn to be. Through focusing on “Professionalism” and “Uniqueness”, the School of Early Childhood Education aims to cultivate early childhood education workers who are both mentally and physically healthy, meet regional economic and social developmental needs, have firm career beliefs, appropriate education philosophy, sound professional ethics, knowledge of early childhood education theories, capability of implementing early childhood education and care activities, strength in early education or art education, and the ability to be reflective, innovative and sustainable.
The School has a prominent team of full time and part time teachers, among whom 76% have master’s degree or above, 30% are associate professors, and 75% are double-position teachers. Three teachers were selected in the third level of 131 Talent Project of Hangzhou, and 2 as Class E Talents of Hangzhou. In addition, 5 professional consultants and visiting professors, and 2 well-known teaching supervisors in the industry form part of the team. The School has several teaching teams on preschool children's development and education, preschool children's art education, and early childhood education. It employs nationally renowned preschool education experts and outstanding teachers from kindergartens to serve as part-time professors and mentors. We have established cooperative relationships with more than a hundred kindergartens and preschool education corporations at different levels, leading to the establishment of 57 teacher development schools as the practical teaching training base (including 5 provincial model bases) to facilitate students’ teaching practice and faculty research.
The School has Children's Health Care Training Room, Children's Psychological Training Room, Xingzhi Garden(Kindergarten Simulation Training Room and Remote Recording and Broadcasting Classroom), Infants and Toddlers’ Sports Observation Room and Nursing Training Room, Montessori Training Room, Multi-function Reading Room, and Microlecture Production Studio, a number of professional training rooms for piano and vocal music, folk music, dance, art, handicraft, as well as a Virtual Kindergarten Simulation Training System. It has established more than 30 student clubs, such as the Chorus Club, Monday Dance Club, Folk Music Club, Picture Book Club, Drawing Art Club, Educational Technology Club, Science Club, Sprouting Children Innocence, and Toy Story, responsible for the management and construction of student art troupe of the college, and providing abundant opportunities for students to learn and develop their practical abilities.
