Play Based Learning and Technology:

What to Consider in a Preschool in 2020

For parents looking at preschool programs, there are a lot of options to consider. On top of that, the emphasis placed on different skills and developmental goals in the early education community is always changing to meet the best research on outcomes and practices as more and more is discovered about how to best nurture young minds during this critical transition from home to school. For parents looking at programs this year, the two big trend to follow are play-based learning and tech in the classroom, and each of them are driving major changes in schools across the country. They aren’t really independent trends either, as increased tech resources help schools design play-based approaches that bring students more chances to develop core literacy skills in a low-pressure environment.

What Is Play-Based Learning?

One of the biggest points of professional tension in early education over the 2010s was the importance of structured skill building versus open play time that encourages children to become inquisitive about their environment while improving motor skills and gaining socialization opportunities. Early literacy skills, including foundation skills for mathematical literacy and pattern recognition, are very important, but many parents and teachers alike have wondered about the cost of increased structured class time in early education. Play-based learning is an approach that seeks to balance these important aspects of the preschool environment by creating educational opportunities that are based on the experience of play, so there’s less forced structure early but important educational milestones are still reached.

Changing Roles for Tech in the Classroom

Presentation technology and online learning resources both continue to develop, offering a broader range of products for teachers to use in a variety of ways. One of the advantages to teaching with digital technology is the ability to use multi-modal approaches that encourage visual, spatial, and language skills at once, engaging the student in a learning process that appeals to the whole range of thinking styles and sensory orientations that learners use as they acquire knowledge. That makes it easier to relate concepts like color and number during early education. The growing role of interactive virtual learning environments and AI guided assessments of student growth are also personalizing the experience, allowing for lessons that proceed at the pace of the learner.

For kids in preschool programs, this translates to more interactive coaching about basics and the ability to learn in a way that is intuitive. It can also be a great opportunity for socialization, because tech resources that are built to be used by groups in a classroom setting help students understand how to cooperate toward a goal.

Selecting Your Preschool for 2020

There are a lot of ways to use these trends to strengthen early education, and schools like Little Sunshine’s Playhouse are always looking at ways to shape their programs according to the emerging best practices for new techniques and technological resources. You can tell you’ve found a program with a solid approach to progressive education by looking at their attitude toward these new methods and research, and evidence-based teaching is literally a practice that proves its own usefulness. That’s not the only important part of selecting a school, though. You also need a comfortable fit, an environment where your child feels supported. As a parent, you’ll also need to feel comfortable with the school’s philosophy and focus. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you consider candidates.

• What is the school’s schedule, and how does it align with your other childcare arrangements?
• Where is the location, in relation to work and home?
• What financing opportunities are there for families? What payment structure do you need?
• Does your child have emerging interests that recommend special programs like those with a STEM emphasis?
• Which public and private schools do students go on to?

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Understanding where your child’s peer group will go as a next step in their schooling helps you to understand whether the preschool will be a great fit when it comes to preparing for the next level, because the kindergarten programs that absorb students from your preschool are likely to share many of the values and goals of the program. If you know where you will go for kindergarten already, that can help you pick a preschool. If you don’t, it can tell you which programs to consider if you want to keep your child with the same peer group throughout the next couple years of childhood education.

Other Rising Trends

More and more states are considering paths to universal preschooling, which might increase the options for financing, so learning more about your local educational environment is important to choosing the right school and the right way to fit it into your family’s budget. Learn more about how your community is supporting parents to find out what resources you might have outside of school, too, because transition programs that continue supporting your educational goals are out there to help with the transition from early education to elementary education, and getting involved with them early puts you in a position to make better use of them.