AI Integration in Early Childhood Education: Awareness among Preschool Teachers in Ondo Town

This study examines the level of awareness among preschool teachers in Ondo Town regarding the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in early childhood education. AI's potential to revolutionize education, particularly in early childhood, is becoming more recognized globally, yet the extent to which preschool teachers are aware of it and its potential benefits when applied remains under-explored. Using a descriptive survey research design, the study surveyed 83 preschool teachers from both public and private schools in Ondo Town. Data was collected through a questionnaire assessing teachers' awareness of AI concepts, AI tools relevant to early childhood education, and the potential benefits AI offers in preschool settings. The findings reveal that while teachers have a general understanding of AI as a tool capable of performing human-like tasks (weighted mean = 2.48), their awareness of specific AI tools such as Bee Bot (x ̅ = 1.84), Endless Alphabet (x ̅ = 2.07), (Miko 3(x ̅ = 2.00), Toca Boca(x ̅ = 1.99) and Class Dojo (x ̅ = 1.95) remains limited. Teachers recognized the benefits of AI (weighted mean = 2.47), particularly in areas such as personalized learning, grading, and creating engaging learning materials. The study concludes that integrating AI and its applicable tools in early childhood education may become far from being realized if preschool teachers’ awareness remains limited. Recommendations include deliberate attempt by the preschoool teachers to seek hands-on training on how to incorporate AI into early childhood education teaching practices. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Early Childhood Education, Preschool teachers, AI tools, Teacher awareness. Journal Reference Format: Ayoola, Olujoba Nathaniel, Ojoko Bukola Anike & Olowe Peter Kayode (2025): AI Integration in Early Childhood Education: Awareness among Preschool Teachers in Ondo Town. Humanities, Management, Arts, Education & the Social Sciences Journal. Vol. 13 No. 1, Pp 71-79. www.isteams.net/humanitiesjournal. dx.doi.org/10.22624/AIMS/HUMANITIES/V13N1P6