Learning to Learn: Top 3 Reasons Why I Choose My Preschool

The preschool buzz is in the air and in hopes of helping my fellow like-minded mommas navigate the selection process, here are the measures with which I use when discerning high-quality early childhood education... and they may just surprise you. 

First, let’s start with the flip-side.  There is a surge in preschool print ads this time of year and some of the very advertisements designed to attract families raise a giant red flag for me.  Be wary of programs that tout such statistics as "60% of graduates [from our preschool] score in the advanced range" and a "[our program] develops the necessary skills to meet academic expectations for pre-K programs".  Not only do I scratch my head at the “scoring” of preschoolers, but I worry about the underlying message being sent to anxious parents that want to give their child the best possible start in life.  Talk of scoring, academic expectations and the need to prepare a child for preschool is not just unsettling, in my mind it's leading parents in a dangerous direction. 

Today's children, more than ever in our culture, are losing their ability to play.  It may seem trivial, it’s easy to overlook the importance of high-quality play in a child's life.  However, David Elkin in The Hurried Child, shares bountiful research on the detrimental effects of early academic pressure on young children.¹  They are ripe and ready to absorb the world around them and many children can soak up and spit out rote learning in impressive ways.  However, research is now beginning to show us that not only does this early advanced-skill learning plateau by third grade, but beyond that, children who faced high academic pressures early on had less creativity, problem-solving skills and passion for learning as they entered high school.  Magda Gerber takes a strong stance here. “Young toddlers have no use for learning ABC’s or reading, learning to count, or working on a computer.  The primary goal of toddlerhood is separating from their parents while discovering the world.  Children will learn these academic skills in school at the appropriate time.  A toddler’s time is better spent developing a fertile mind, which sows the seeds for future learning.  A young child may be able to remember numbers or colors on a flash card.  Monkeys can do the same without having a real understanding of what the information means.  This kind of learning is useless until a child has the mental capacities to understand its meaning.”²  

Our concerns are well-intentioned, we want our children to find success in life.  However, think for a moment about the most influential people you know professionally.  Do you happen to know how they scored on their SAT's?  The people we've chosen to be part of our team at Play Makers are here because they are creative and bring out-of-the-box ideas to the table.  I want people in my business who add value because they think in innovative ways.  This skill is fostered in early childhood and it’s developed through play. 

So, here’s what I look for in a ECE program that gets my "stamp of approval":

1.  Love- Aside from a child's parents, her teachers are going to be one of the strongest early relationships she forms with adults.  I want to see a teacher's love for children in the warm welcome and end-of-the-day hugs that she gives my child.  That makes her feel important and cared about. 

2.  Social Connectedness with Peers- I agree wholeheartedly with Madga Gerber that the most powerful lessons my daughter will learn during her preschool years will be in the block corner and dramatic play area during unstructured playtime and these relational lessons will be far more powerful than in any teacher-designed activity.  A good preschool must place social play at the top of the priority list.  In fact, curious to know Laurellai’s biggest accomplishment in her first five months of preschool?   She recently invited a friend to sit next to her at circle…literally.  She's a timid kid by nature and this is a HUGE step for her in social skill building and self-confidence.

3.  Focus is on Learning How to Learn- Based on the above mentioned research, what specific academic skills my child learns in preschool are of very little value to me.  What takes the cake in my mind is a focus on how a child learns, not what she learns.  The very best preschools I seen have a profound respect for carefully observing what the children are interested in and following their lead rather than a rigid, adult-designed curriculum.  When a child walks proudly into her classroom with a precious bird's nest she found over the weekend, shares it with her friends and the class spends the next three days drawing, researching, storytelling about birds, that child has learned to be inquisitive and that  her interests and thoughts are of value.  In turn her self-confidence is strengthened and her zest for learning is fostered. 

If you’re still on the fence about academic-based preschools, I recommend you catch a local screening of A Race to Nowhere.  This learn-it-fast-and-do-it-best culture doesn’t start in high school, it starts now.  As parents, we have the ability to drive the market in early childhood education by seeking what we know to be true, children need to play.  Period.   

1. David Elkin, The Hurried Child

2. Magda Gerber, Your Self-Confident Baby