The benefits of prekindergarten programs: Strong findings and open questions

A wealth of evidence shows that children who attend preK. and other early childhood programs have higher pre-academic skills at kindergarten entry than those who don’t attend, and the benefits of attending preK. can last long into adolescence and adulthood. Anna Shapiro discusses these findings and argues for making universal public preK. an urgent policy priority.

Finding Fitting Solutions to Assessment of Indigenous Young Children’s Learning and Development: Do It in a Good Way

Standardized, norm-referenced assessments of young children’s learning and development pose a number of challenges when used with Indigenous children, beginning with the very notion of the construct “early childhood” that runs counter to some Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Indigenous community leaders and knowledge keepers reject the idea that all children should develop according to a homogenizing universal standard that is not grounded in specific culturally based goals and practices surrounding children’s development and does not respect each child’s unique character. Three key problems arise with creating appropriate assessment of Indigenous young children’s learning and development: 1) assessment in early childhood programs is often done from the perspective of whether children are on track to be ready for school; 2) school systems, early childhood programs, and practitioners face a barrage of pressure to measure children’s “progress” against universalist norms derived from Euro-Western ways of knowing and goals for children’s development; and 3) knowledge of diverse Indigenous young children’s varied lived experiences in today’s urban and rural communities is extremely limited. This paper discusses these obstacles and draws from the author’s many years of collaborating with Indigenous children, families, and communities to co-create culturally relevant assessment in a good way.

Exploring children's perceptions of work and play in kindergarten classrooms

Through a qualitative method of inquiry, the purpose of the present study was to explore children’s perceptions of work and play in their classrooms using a combination of photography, a categorization task, and semi-structured interviews. Participants included 16 children between the ages of 4 and 6 who were enrolled in kindergarten programs located within childcare centres. Findings show that children made clear distinctions in the characteristics they attributed to work and to play. Children viewed work as tasks that are physical and/or challenging, and often require the production of a final product; whereas play was viewed as enjoyable activities that are freely chosen, involve pretend play, and the manipulation of materials children perceive as toys. Findings from the study can assist educators in developing a deeper understanding of children’s perceptions of work and play that may be useful when implementing play-based early childhood programs. Keywords: children’s perceptions; perceptions of work and play; play-based programs

Exploring children's perceptions of work and play in kindergarten classrooms

Through a qualitative method of inquiry, the purpose of the present study was to explore children’s perceptions of work and play in their classrooms using a combination of photography, a categorization task, and semi-structured interviews. Participants included 16 children between the ages of 4 and 6 who were enrolled in kindergarten programs located within childcare centres. Findings show that children made clear distinctions in the characteristics they attributed to work and to play. Children viewed work as tasks that are physical and/or challenging, and often require the production of a final product; whereas play was viewed as enjoyable activities that are freely chosen, involve pretend play, and the manipulation of materials children perceive as toys. Findings from the study can assist educators in developing a deeper understanding of children’s perceptions of work and play that may be useful when implementing play-based early childhood programs. Keywords: children’s perceptions; perceptions of work and play; play-based programs

Fostering socio-emotional learning through early childhood intervention

Educators and researchers are increasingly interested in evaluating and promoting socio-emotional learning (SEL) beginning in early childhood (Newman & Dusunbury in 2015; Zigler & Trickett in American Psychologist 33(9):789–798 10.1037/0003-066X.33.9.789, 1978). Decades of research have linked participation in high-quality early childhood education (ECE) programs (e.g., public prekindergarten, Head Start) to multidimensional wellbeing. ECE programs also have demonstrated potential to be implemented at large scales with strong financial returns on investment. However, relatively few studies have investigated the effects of ECE programs on SEL, particularly compared to smaller-scale, skills-based SEL interventions. Furthermore, among studies that have examined SEL, there is a general lack of consensus about how to define and measure SEL in applied settings. The present paper begins to address these gaps in several ways. First, it discusses conceptual and methodological issues related to developmentally and culturally sensitive assessment of young children’s socio-emotional functioning. Second, it reviews the empirical research literature on the impacts of three types of early childhood programs (general prekindergarten programs; multi-component prekindergarten programs; and universal skills-based interventions) on SEL. Finally, it highlights future directions for research and practice.

The Power of Belonging: Interactions and Values in Children’s Group Play in Early Childhood Programs

This article explores belonging as social interaction in relation to power and values. Power has both positive and negative aspects. We view children as active agents with the power to include or exclude others, create space for each other or set boundaries. The article shows how children’s powers are limited by education staff’s structural power and discusses the ethical and pedagogical implications of children’s and staff’s use of power. We find that well-considered use of power may widen children’s horizons and provide them with social opportunities that they would otherwise miss. The data consist of video observation and interviews with children and teachers in three Early Childhood Education and Care settings in Norway. The article uses a lifeworld hermeneutical approach to study children’s belonging as a complex and sometimes ambiguous phenomenon. The article shows that children’s possibilities to position themselves and belong are made possible and limited by their social group via relational and structural power. By becoming aware of these contradictory tendencies, teachers can provide children with a variety of social experiences that promote belonging, which requires knowledge of how groups are formed by dynamic power relations that condition different social experiences.

Work Hard and Play Hard: Perceptions of Play in Early Childhood Programs

This paper explored the perceptions of principals and teachers concerning the role of play in early childhood programs during an ethos of high strakes accountability. All early childhood participants identified play as a learning tool, but noted it was being eliminated from the curriculum due to high stake accountability. Viewed differently between administrators and early childhood educators was the purpose of play. Revealed were implications for administrators, teachers, and policymakers. The implications for this research and practice include that both administration and early childhood teachers must understand the value of play and implement play within the school day.

Play in Early Childhood Education and the Perceived Impacts of Accountability and Rigor

Exploring explored principals' and teachers' perceptions concerning the role of play in early childhood programs was this quantitative inquiry. All early childhood participants identified play as a learning tool but noted it was being eliminated from the curriculum due to high stake accountability. There was a significant difference between administrators and early childhood educators concerning the purpose of play. Implications for early childhood curriculum and school district policy were determined.