Reply to Are DCPS PK3-4 programs more play-based or academic?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My kids both did PK3 and PK4 at a Title 1 DCPS, not one on your list, within the past three years.

Their experience was pretty similar to the L-T poster above.

They have a theme each quarter. Themes have included: Insects, Trees, Tubes and Tunnels, Signs, Buildings, etc. The kids get really into the theme.

Rough schedule of the day (the order has changed a bit class to class and year to year):

Breakfast
Morning Meeting - they talk about weather, days of the week, who has a birthday coming, etc. There's always a "question of the day" that the kids answer through some hands-on-voting system (has differed class to class), like "which food do you like better, pizza or French fries" or similar. 
Recess - they get two 30 min recesses outside each day, one in the morning, one after nap. 
Centers - This is pretty much true play. They pick where they play - the library to look at books, "Dramatic Play" which is like dress up and the play kitchen, blocks, water table, sand table, art table, there's at least one center around the theme. This is a full hour.
Specials - This is basically the same as I remember from elementary school. Spanish, Art, Music, Library, Yoga, PE, etc rotating throughout the week.
"Twiggle Time" - this is their social-emotional learning time when they talk about feelings and stuff. The "mascot" is a turtle named Twiggle. 
Lunch
Nap (90 mins for PK3, 60 mins for PK4)
ELA - They have a reading/writing block. I think it's about 30 mins a day, and they mostly seem to read a book, talk about the book, draw a picture based on a question about the book, and write their names. They also learn letters and their sounds. 
2nd Recess
Closing circle

I think in PK4 they add a math time. It also has a funny name but I forget what.

My kids were both "ahead" and at the end of PK4, both could count to 100 and recognize all the numbers, knew the alphabet and all the sounds the letters made (including a handful of combos like Ch and Th), and could write all the letters (big and little) and numbers and write their full names (first, middle, and last).

My oldest could also do some basic addition (numbers under 10) and my youngest could read a little (but I think she mostly figured that out just from the sounds, I don't think they taught that).

And they had more strategies about calming their bodies and dealing with hard emotions than 99% of current adults, myself included, haha.

Overall, as a layman, it seemed very play-based to me, and a pretty reasonable amount of academics. I will say, at least for my kids (who were at home with a nanny before PK3) PK3 was EXHAUSTING. Partly because they struggled to nap in a group environment, and I think partially because it's just a lot for pretty little kids. Interestingly, my friends with daycare kids, who I would have guessed would have found the switch more smooth, also really struggled at least the first month or two. It's a BIG transition (way bigger than the switch to K, for example). [/quote]

It’s a non title 1 right? What I don’t see in the schedule is Building Blocks (math), which is apparently mandatory for all pre-k teachers to use but maybe not.

They are missing whole group and small group instruction -which again is supposedly mandatory.[/quote]

PP here. This is a title 1 school.

Building Blocks! That’s the funny name! Yes, they do that but I thought it started in PK4. I could be wrong about that. There is both whole group and small group during the ELA and Building Blocks, and I believe sometimes they will also have one of the “centers” be a small group instruction in reading and/or math. [/quote]

This sounds like way too much academics.  I don’t agree with all these mandates going down to ECE teachers about it.

My kid did not have any academics and did not know almost all of the stuff PP said above (counting to 100, addition, etc,.). He knew the alphabet and still could not read in K.

ECE was so much fun and inquisitive and they did cool things like build an aquarium, set up a broadcast station, lots of great field trips, etc..

Just finished elementary and top student.
[/quote]

My kid started reading in PK4. By K he had abundant, access to stories, culture, information, ideas because he was already a strong independent reader.

Becoming a "top student" was never the point of teaching him to read.[/quote]

Way to totally miss the point which is by 3rd grade the kids who were not reading yet have caught up to your kid and there is no difference.

Spending too much time pushing reading early at the expense of play is of no benefit and you lose learning other more important skills discussed above.

If you look at studies, the kids in head start might be more ahead academically but all gains are lost later. [/quote]

This is a weird take.

I also had a very early reader who is now a teenager and he just .. knows a LOT due to all the books he's read. Reading accumulates, and early readers learn more. This shouldn't be disparaged.[/quote]

Yeah I understand the research but there seems to be a lot of just anti-academics not just pro-play.[/quote]

This. There's a lot of Head Start research out there and it takes some expertise to interpret. But it's bizarre how people get so upset about 10 minutes of Heggerty or whatever. A is for apple and it won't kill ya to sing the alphabet song sometimes.

It's okay if some kids want to learn to read. Some kids mostly teach themselves to read and write if they're ahead of the class, and if they don't get instruction they can develop bad habits like not forming letters in the proper way, or pronouncing things phonetically that aren't phonetic in spoken English. They're better off with a little instruction to go with their enthusiasm.[/quote]

I think you’re not getting the nuance here. Play is learning, it is academics -just not in the traditional sense. Songs/real music is imperative for learning.

I knew I should not have commented because there would be comments over generalizing or not getting the point. Especially because parents don’t want to feel like they failed or are failing their child.

We all do the best we can -obviously teacher too.

I know you did not read all the comments but I did state if a child is interested in reading it’s not going to harm them. What IS harmful is forcing ALL children to learn to read at 3/4 years old.

Your example’s aren’t disproving what I have stated. Again, the research is clear. Play is learning! 
[/quote]

You seem to know the schedule of every T1 school ECE class and that none of them ever sing or do crafts or play or anything other than sit and do worksheets all day.

It's also incredibly offensive to people here to say it's ok you're failing your child you're doing your best and just don't want to admit it you're failing.

I think this board has an incredibly unfair view of teachers but this constantly belittling parents isn't helping.[/quote]

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