Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/play-policy-and-practice-the-essential-connections/5011850/
Three children are deeply engaged in a blockbuilding project, two researchers are discussing teacher entry into child play, an educator is preparing an article on the value of play as it occurs in an early childhood program. Are all these people - their thoughts, ideas and work - connected? We strongly argue "Yes" - in fact, the connections made among and between these people are crucial to quality care and education of young children.Have parents ever confronted you, the director, about providing more academic programming? Have you interacted with teachers who want to integrate play into the curriculum but aren't sure how? Have teachers in your program read about research on the importance of play for later learning? Interactions such as these point to the necessity for finding, making, and supporting connections among play, policy, and practice.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children, in its publication, Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs (Bredekamp and Copple, 1997) takes the stand that play belongs at the center of a curriculum designed for the young child. As a matter of fact, ongoing research, as well as publication after publication in the early childhood field, emphasizes the crucial, intrinsic connections among play, ...