Anonymous wrote:personally, i think this sound great for so many reasons. i think social/emotional education is wonderful thing for individual kids and our society as a whole. most of the data that has been piling up about early childhood indicates that we think of as "academic" is really barking up the wrong tree for this age. let their minds develop in a more holistic way. if you want to supplement at home with some basic reading and writing, you can.

+1. Get some Kumon books on letters and numbers. They cost about 6$ on Amazon. and supermarkets have even cheaper preschool workbooks as well. But teaching the socioemotional piece at home without peers around is much harder.

Anonymous wrote:Read the current experts in education and early childhood development (eg, Carlsson-Paige, Gopnik). Play-based is the way to go.

(And, fwiw, Montessori is not play-based. The curriculum is very structured--not teacher-led or child-led, but "tray-led")

Can you share a bit more about your thoughts/views on montessori?

I've been an educator for nearly 20 years and there's no need for intense academics in preschool/PreK. Play, community-building, self-regulation, oral language, love for school - that's what is important. The academics will come in K.

FWIW, my DD is in a preschool in Arlington where they are doing numbers and letters with 2 year olds and I'm trying to find somewhere else to send her that is more developmentally appropriate.

Read the current experts in education and early childhood development (eg, Carlsson-Paige, Gopnik). Play-based is the way to go.

(And, fwiw, Montessori is not play-based. The curriculum is very structured--not teacher-led or child-led, but "tray-led")

Met a couple of teachers that had a hybrid of strategies. Their philosophy was to use a little of all and what works best for the children.

If parents have to supplement at home, what are the expectations of the teacher and the class? I noticed that some daycares teach the kids alphabets and numbers preparing them for preschool. They do play and academics and the kids are happy and bright.

Where do you get information on the Gold standards?

As an educator and admin for 14+ years, pre-k in VA and mostly in DC, I know from my experience in the reggio emilia approach that it can be interpreted differently (sometimes dramatically) from teacher to teacher, school admin to school admin. I say do your research on each curriculum, write down pros and cons from each, then take that list to your wards edufest and meet the school admins and teachers to see who shares your simular views. You might find that you're most aligned with a different curriculum and just like the people in one school over the other, no matter the curriculum- personally which is just as important. Just be aware that there are always some teachers that are resistant to a new curriculum and won't fully implement it; they might have a trained opinion.

+100. More fun in PreK3 won't hurt.

Our child was at a school that used TOM for PK3, and it seemed to work very well. In fact, our child learned more that year in terms of letters, writing, and basic math than he did when we switched to a new school with a different curriculum for PK4. In any case, I don't think we need to push our kids too quickly with academics (including lower income children). There is great value in pre-school that teaches kids basic social skills and makes learning fun.

Some days I love tools of the mind. other days- not so much. I have a strong battle in my mind between the part of me that appreciates the gentle, play- based approach and the side of me that knows my dd is ready for more advanced learning. DD loves school- which is most important. But I think she could be challenged more and still have fun.