'Play' is a four letter activity: Comparison of a child-centered versus an academically structured preschool curriculum and environment

Abstract

Early child education classrooms are beginning to see a trend in the way play is viewed and utilized in the daily structure of classroom environments and curriculums. A high emphasis on the accountability of how a curriculum is delivered and how students are learning continues to develop more structured environments. Kindergartens and pre-kindergarten classrooms are beginning to feel the pressures of accountability in the way they are teaching children the basic skills and subjects needed for later success in school. The purpose of this study is to compare an academically structured pre-kindergarten classroom to a more traditionally or play-based pre-kindergarten classroom in a large, urban school district in the Midwest. The focus is on developmentally appropriate practices and the achievement of students for kindergarten and/or school readiness. The study analyzes and reports on each prekindergarten curriculum and environment and how they are meeting developmentally appropriate practices using the The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scales: revised Edition (ECERS-R) (2005), The Four Curricular Subscales Extension to the ECERS-R (ECERS-E) (2011), and The Core Knowledge Preschool Assessment Tool (CT-PAK) (2004) was administered to random sample of six pre-kindergarten participants to asses kindergarten readiness. Finally, comparison and discussion of both pre-kindergarten curriculums and environments as well as their effectiveness on school and/or kindergarten readiness.