Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Yes, ideally it is about balance. But if the preschool does not have properly educated/experienced staff, more damage can be done by pushing academics than in a play-based environment. I would steer away from an academic preschool unless I trust the competency of the staff. At least one person in a preschool should have early education credentials, and I know at least one preschool where that is not the case.

I actually disagree. My son is at a preschool with no staff with ECE credentials, and it is SO MUCH better in every way than the preschool that had credentialed staff. In a best case scenario, long-time childcare workers without degrees are just good with kids (and, more importantly, managing classrooms competently.) On the other hand, an indexperienced but credentialed teacher can be a nightmare. And pushing "academics" at least means that the staff is engaged with the kids, as opposed to letting them go all lord of the flies.

It's pretty hard to be credentialed without supervised exporsure to children--it's required as part of the certification.

Play-based does not mean free-for-all. It means that children learn skills to prepare them for academics through play. The best preparation for academic success when you are talking about the 7-and under set means the ability to follow directions, stay focused, exchange ideas with verbal accuracy, participate in conversation, and acquire fine motor skills (which are correlated with gross motor skills). A teacher who demands that a three year old sit still and write on a sheet of paper is not developing the whole child. Child psychologists observe that children who participate in dramatic play, in particular, are able to develop executive functioning skills compared to children who do not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Yes, ideally it is about balance. But if the preschool does not have properly educated/experienced staff, more damage can be done by pushing academics than in a play-based environment. I would steer away from an academic preschool unless I trust the competency of the staff. At least one person in a preschool should have early education credentials, and I know at least one preschool where that is not the case.

I actually disagree. My son is at a preschool with no staff with ECE credentials, and it is SO MUCH better in every way than the preschool that had credentialed staff. In a best case scenario, long-time childcare workers without degrees are just good with kids (and, more importantly, managing classrooms competently.) On the other hand, an indexperienced but credentialed teacher can be a nightmare. And pushing "academics" at least means that the staff is engaged with the kids, as opposed to letting them go all lord of the flies.

Of course, it is not 100% one way or the other. Our experience with "academic" preschool was not engagement, more of pushing worksheets and not developing curiosity or learning skills, but drilling children specific assigned tasks, that seemed very inappropriate for preschoolers. We are in a play-based preschool now with staff mostly with no ECE credentials and it is fantastic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Yes, ideally it is about balance. But if the preschool does not have properly educated/experienced staff, more damage can be done by pushing academics than in a play-based environment. I would steer away from an academic preschool unless I trust the competency of the staff. At least one person in a preschool should have early education credentials, and I know at least one preschool where that is not the case.

I actually disagree. My son is at a preschool with no staff with ECE credentials, and it is SO MUCH better in every way than the preschool that had credentialed staff. In a best case scenario, long-time childcare workers without degrees are just good with kids (and, more importantly, managing classrooms competently.) On the other hand, an indexperienced but credentialed teacher can be a nightmare. And pushing "academics" at least means that the staff is engaged with the kids, as opposed to letting them go all lord of the flies.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Yes, ideally it is about balance. But if the preschool does not have properly educated/experienced staff, more damage can be done by pushing academics than in a play-based environment. I would steer away from an academic preschool unless I trust the competency of the staff. At least one person in a preschool should have early education credentials, and I know at least one preschool where that is not the case.

I actually disagree. My son is at a preschool with no staff with ECE credentials, and it is SO MUCH better in every way than the preschool that had credentialed staff. In a best case scenario, long-time childcare workers without degrees are just good with kids (and, more importantly, managing classrooms competently.) On the other hand, an indexperienced but credentialed teacher can be a nightmare. And pushing "academics" at least means that the staff is engaged with the kids, as opposed to letting them go all lord of the flies.

Anonymous wrote:
Yes, ideally it is about balance. But if the preschool does not have properly educated/experienced staff, more damage can be done by pushing academics than in a play-based environment. I would steer away from an academic preschool unless I trust the competency of the staff. At least one person in a preschool should have early education credentials, and I know at least one preschool where that is not the case.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't fall into the false "play vs learning" bit. Play is a way to learn, or as NAEYC puts it, "Play is a child’s context for learning."

"Children practice and reinforce their learning in multiple areas during play. It gives them a place and a time for learning that cannot be achieved through completing a worksheet. For example, in playing restaurant, children write and draw menus, set prices, take orders, and make out checks. Play provides rich learning opportunities and leads to children’s success and self-esteem." (http://families.naeyc.org/learning-and-development/child-development/10-things-every-parent-should-know-about-play)

That still explains nothing at all about how two teachers manage a class of 16 3 year olds, provide an environment to work on their gross and fine motor skills, ensure introduction to literacy skills, and, above all, a harmonious and positive social-emotional experience where kids feel secure as they grow into socializing with each other.

Not to mention, how does a teacher ensure that kids playing restaurant are actually going to write menus, set prices, and write checks? The teachers can't/won't/shouldn't force them to include this in their play. What the heck is wrong with interspersing short periods of focused academics with longer periods of free play?

Yes, ideally it is about balance. But if the preschool does not have properly educated/experienced staff, more damage can be done by pushing academics than in a play-based environment. I would steer away from an academic preschool unless I trust the competency of the staff. At least one person in a preschool should have early education credentials, and I know at least one preschool where that is not the case.

I agree, although I would expand the notion of "academics" to include more than just literacy, and also gross and fine motor skill activities and music. Many kids *love* that kind of direct instruction anyway, in small doses. Conversely, free play especially for the little ones needs to be carefully overseen to scaffold social and emotional skills, and give the 1:1 interaction that kids that age still need with grownups. Basically like all else in life, it's about balance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't fall into the false "play vs learning" bit. Play is a way to learn, or as NAEYC puts it, "Play is a child’s context for learning."

"Children practice and reinforce their learning in multiple areas during play. It gives them a place and a time for learning that cannot be achieved through completing a worksheet. For example, in playing restaurant, children write and draw menus, set prices, take orders, and make out checks. Play provides rich learning opportunities and leads to children’s success and self-esteem." (http://families.naeyc.org/learning-and-development/child-development/10-things-every-parent-should-know-about-play)

That still explains nothing at all about how two teachers manage a class of 16 3 year olds, provide an environment to work on their gross and fine motor skills, ensure introduction to literacy skills, and, above all, a harmonious and positive social-emotional experience where kids feel secure as they grow into socializing with each other.

Not to mention, how does a teacher ensure that kids playing restaurant are actually going to write menus, set prices, and write checks? The teachers can't/won't/shouldn't force them to include this in their play. What the heck is wrong with interspersing short periods of focused academics with longer periods of free play?

Anonymous wrote:Jees, I can't believe the iota the parents on this thread who dismiss play without having ANY clue the role it plays in learning,

Anonymous wrote:Have any of you ever been to a GOOD play-based preschool?

They do things like practice writing letters with shaving cream, build a dam when part of the playground floods and then float boats through the current, experiment with objects that sink or float etc. My daughter's preschool had someone come in from the White House staff to talk about presidential pets. They invite Native American Indians to the school where they talk about the culture and do a drumming show. They do lots of art projects that help children learn to use scissors and glue. They teach them how to walk in a line, how to listen to a teacher, how to zip their coats. They practice adding with groups of various objects.

It's not just a free for all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't fall into the false "play vs learning" bit. Play is a way to learn, or as NAEYC puts it, "Play is a child’s context for learning."

"Children practice and reinforce their learning in multiple areas during play. It gives them a place and a time for learning that cannot be achieved through completing a worksheet. For example, in playing restaurant, children write and draw menus, set prices, take orders, and make out checks. Play provides rich learning opportunities and leads to children’s success and self-esteem." (http://families.naeyc.org/learning-and-development/child-development/10-things-every-parent-should-know-about-play)

That still explains nothing at all about how two teachers manage a class of 16 3 year olds, provide an environment to work on their gross and fine motor skills, ensure introduction to literacy skills, and, above all, a harmonious and positive social-emotional experience where kids feel secure as they grow into socializing with each other.

Not to mention, how does a teacher ensure that kids playing restaurant are actually going to write menus, set prices, and write checks? The teachers can't/won't/shouldn't force them to include this in their play. What the heck is wrong with interspersing short periods of focused academics with longer periods of free play?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't fall into the false "play vs learning" bit. Play is a way to learn, or as NAEYC puts it, "Play is a child’s context for learning."

"Children practice and reinforce their learning in multiple areas during play. It gives them a place and a time for learning that cannot be achieved through completing a worksheet. For example, in playing restaurant, children write and draw menus, set prices, take orders, and make out checks. Play provides rich learning opportunities and leads to children’s success and self-esteem." (http://families.naeyc.org/learning-and-development/child-development/10-things-every-parent-should-know-about-play)

That still explains nothing at all about how two teachers manage a class of 16 3 year olds, provide an environment to work on their gross and fine motor skills, ensure introduction to literacy skills, and, above all, a harmonious and positive social-emotional experience where kids feel secure as they grow into socializing with each other.