There are many advocates of keeping preschool a place for play instead of using it as a bridge to learning. This theory reprimands preschools that embrace a more structured learning environment for becoming "the new kindergarten." Other groups, generally in geographical areas with very competitive private schools, advocate for a very rigid learning environment in order to get their preschooler into the best kindergarten. Both of these viewpoints are, in most cases, extreme viewpoints that are very far from the preschools of today. In reality, quality preschools are a mixture of the two philosophies.
Quality preschools generally have an ample portion of the day where the children are engaged in free choice activities with times of teacher led activities interspersed throughout the day. During child directed play, teachers allow the children to rotate through centers and create their own scenarios and outcomes. The teachers engage the children in order to facilitate learning and discovery. Learning centers are well thought out and can encompass literacy, math, science, dramatic play, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, logic, reasoning, diversity, or any other area of education or life skills. Throughout the day, core values and traits are being taught, modeled and facilitated in a quality program. These values include sharing, caring, respect, acceptance of differences and similarities, taking turns, listening, and following directions.
Teachers in a quality childcare program know the early childhood standards and meet or exceed them in preparing lessons for the children. Quality teachers also take the children's interests into account when preparing lessons. This better enables the children to obtain a love of learning which will hopefully stay with them throughout their educational experiences. In order to encourage a lasting love of learning, children need to realize that they are being taught; they need to be presented with challenges that they can conquer; they need to be led to some conclusions and be able to figure some out on their own; they need to gain confidence in their own abilities; they need to be given a strong educational foundation.
In a preschool environment that is extremely rigid, the majority of children in an average population will not flourish. This environment may cause undue stress on the children in attendance and create a sense of failure within the children that cannot adapt to this environment. Contrarily, in a preschool environment that is extremely unstructured, the majority of the same group of children will not learn at their full potential. Children in this situation may not be prepared when they enter kindergarten and may fall behind their peers due to the lack of preparation. In both cases, children may develop behavior problems or insecurities.
The optimal preschool setting is one that nurtures the whole child and includes a mixture of teacher directed and child directed activities, structured and unstructured learning, and free play.
In a preschool environment that encompasses a mixture of structured and unstructured learning times, the children can still act like children, stay engaged, and learn at their full potential. The children in this environment understand that there are times that they have more control in their day and learning content and times when they need to let the teacher have control. These children understand that discovery and learning can be fun. This environment is optimal for allowing children to obtain social skills and to acquire a strong educational foundation for when they enter into school and throughout their lives.
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