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Features of the Best Preschool Programs
November 23, 2017
When we begin to deeply understand that all experiences build brain architecture, we will uphold our ordinary experiences as sacred and tangible teaching moments that support and prioritize safety and connection throughout our children’s lives.
-Lori L. Desautels, Connections Over Compliance

Writing in an article in The Atlantic, Erika Christakis cautions against recent pressures to bring an over-emphasis on "direct instruction" to programs for young children. She describes characteristics of preschool programs that are most beneficial for children:

"According to experts such as the Yale professor Edward Zigler, a leader in child-development and early-education policy for half a century, the best preschool programs share several features:

-They provide ample opportunities for young children to use and hear complex, interactive language;

-Their curriculum supports a wide range of school-readiness goals that include social and emotional skills and active learning;

-They encourage meaningful family involvement; and

-They have knowledgeable and well-qualified teachers."

Source: "The New Preschool is Crushing Kids," by Erika Christakis, The Atlantic, December 17, 2015





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Comments (1)

Displaying 1 Comment
Francis Wardle · November 23, 2017
CSBC
Denver, CO, United States


As usual, the central piece of a quality preschool program is missing: well compensated teachers and caregivers! When will we as a field understand that the core of a quality program is teachers and caregivers who are well trained, receive continual training, and are well compensated (salaries and benefits)?



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