W. C. UWADIAE

Caregivers in crèche settings play a pivotal role in nurturing and educating children during their formative years. However, the demand of this profession can lead to emotional stress, burnout, and job dissatisfaction. Therefore, this study explores the occupational related challenge faced by caregivers in crèche settings, with a focus on the impacts of these challenges on caregiver well-being and the quality of care provided to young children. The study adopted a survey research design and the population comprised all the care givers in the 39 registered crèches in Benin City. The sample was 100 crèches care givers selected from 25 crèche settings through multi-stage sampling techniques. The instrument for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire designed after a careful study of related literature. The instrument was validated by the three experts including the researcher’s supervisor. The internal consistency of the instrument was calculated with the cronbach alpha which yields a value of 0.86. The data were analysed with frequency count, percentages and standard deviation. The findings revealed that caregivers in crèche settings encounter a range of occupational challenges. The most commonly reported challenges include caring for crying babies, feeling unsatisfied due to salary payment, lack of appreciation from parents, poor recognition and appreciation of work by crèche management, and poor working conditions of the crèche. Caregivers experience fair challenges associated with the job of caring for children. Additionally, occupational-related challenges posed moderate impact to their health although feeling ill due to job was not mainly ascribed to job demand hence; do not perceive it as impactful to their health. Consequently, it was recommended that government should institute policyframework for effective monitoring and supervision of crèches and Managements ofcaregiving centres should ensure better welfare package for care givers including exposing them to various regular training programme.

The need for sensory play in promoting fine motor skill in Montessori pupils has proven to be an excellent strategy to improve on the child's learning, as the teachers in Montessori schools strive to give the pupils a quality and more concretised learning experience needed for the proper growth and development of the children. This study was carried out to determine the impact sensory play has in promoting fine motor skill development in Montessori school pupils. Five research questions were used for the study; The study adopted the questionnaire to collect data. The sample for the study was a hundred (100) Montessori school teachers drawn from a total number of ten (10) Montessori schools in Benin City. A frequency distribution, percentage, mean and standard deviation was used to analyze data. It was concluded that sensory play activities along with sensory play materials are important vehicles for the development of fine motor skills. The study recommends that sensory play should be integrated into the classroom learning activities, with the teachers providing for several sensory materials to meet the diverse domains of every pupil, and providing a safe and conducive environment for learning while acting as a guide to the children's learning

Caregivers in crèche settings play a pivotal role in nurturing and educating children during their formative years. However, the demand of this profession can lead to emotional stress, burnout, and job dissatisfaction. Therefore, this study explores the
occupational related challenge faced by caregivers in crèche settings, with a focus on the impacts of these challenges on caregiver well-being and the quality of care provided to young children. The study adopted a survey research design and the population comprised all the care givers in the 39 registered crèches in Benin City. The sample was 100 crèches care
givers selected from 25 crèche settings through multi-stage sampling techniques. The instrument for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire designed after a careful study of related literature. The instrument was validated by the three experts
including the researcher’s supervisor. The internal consistency of the instrument was calculated with the cronbach alpha which yields a value of 0.86. The data were analysed with frequency count, percentages and standard deviation. The findings revealed that caregivers in crèche settings encounter a range of occupational challenges. The most commonly reported challenges include caring for crying babies, feeling unsatisfied due to salary payment, lack of appreciation from parents, poor recognition and appreciation of work by crèche management, and poor working conditions of the crèche. Caregivers experience fair challenges associated with the job of caring for children. Additionally, occupational-related challenges posed moderate impact to their health although feeling ill due to job was not mainly ascribed to job demand hence; do not perceive it as impactful to their health. Consequently, it was recommended that government should institute policy framework for effective monitoring and supervision of crèches and Managements of caregiving centres should ensure better welfare package for caregivers including
exposing them to various regular training programme.

This study investigated the perceptions of preschool teachers on the impact of early talent identification (ETI) on the academic performance of children in Oredo Local Government. A cross-sectional survey approach was employed. The population comprised all the preschool teachers in Oredo Local Government Area. The Sample was 100 preschool teachers selected through convenience sampling technique. Descriptive statistics validated by three lectures in the institute of Education was used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that teachers perceive early talent identification positively, acknowledging its role in enhancing academic performance through tailored support and enrichment opportunities. However, challenges such as parental attitudes, resource limitations, and systemic inadequacies hinder effective talent identification. Despite challenges, teachers are highly rated in implementing
curriculum differentiation and enrichment for early talent identification. The research underscores the importance of early talent identification in preschool education and emphasizes the need for collaborative efforts to optimize learning experiences for children in Oredo Local Government. Based on the findings, it was recommended
among others that Edo State Government and School Operators should allocate sufficient resources to overcome limitations in facilities, materials, and staffing that affect building of preschool talent.

This study investigated the perceptions of preschool teachers on the impact of earlytalent identification (ETI) on the academic performance of children in OredoLocal Government. A cross-sectional survey approach was employed. The populationcomprised all the preschool teachers in Oredo Local Government Area. The Samplewas 100 preschool teachers selected through convenience sampling technique. Descriptive statistics validated by three lectures in the institute of Education was usedto analyse the data. The findings revealed that teachers perceive earlytalent identification positively, acknowledging its role in enhancing academic performancethrough tailored support and enrichment opportunities. However, challenges suchasparental attitudes, resource limitations, and systemic inadequacies hinder effectivetalent identification. Despite challenges, teachers are highly rated in implementingcurriculum differentiation and enrichment for early talent identification. The researchunderscores the importance of early talent identification in preschool educationandemphasizes the need for collaborative efforts to optimize learning experiences forchildren in Oredo Local Government. Based on the findings it was recommendedamong others that Edo State Government and School Operators should allocatesufficient resources to overcome limitations in facilities, materials, and staffingthat affect building of preschool talent.