This paper focused on the role of the professional counsellllors in early childhood education. It is observed that little or no attention has been given to this level of education in Nigerian school system until recently, particularly with the enactment of the 2013 NPE. The involvement of professional counsellors at this cadre of education could help young learners to achieve more guided educational successes as they navigate the other levels of education. In pursuit of this goal, this paper further examine some challenges and benefits of early childhood education which could be ameliorated and facilitated respectively by guidance and counselling. The paper argued that appropriate counselling interventions at an early stage of young learners could contribute to their successful education as well as maximize their future well being. In this regard, the paper put forward multilateral counselling interventions at five levels. They include counsellor’s collaboration with school proprietor, counsellor’s partnership with preschool teachers, counsellor’s interface with parents, counsellor’s interface with young learners and Counselling Association of Nigeria (CASSON) consultation with government. It is therefore, recommended that guidance and counselling should be an integral component of early child education in Nigeria as a means of enhancing the attainment of its educational objectives.
Keywords: Counselling, Early Childhood Education, Integrating
