Breaking news:
Early childhood professionals call on National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers to suspend the writing of
“core standards” for young children.
Issued by the Alliance for Childhood on March 2, 2010
A full list of signers of the Joint Statement will be posted soon.
Latest Press Release:
Crisis in the Kindergarten:
A New Report on the Disappearance of Play
New research shows that many kindergartens spend 2 to 3 hours per day instructing and testing children in literacy and math—with only 30 minutes per day or less for play. In some kindergartens there is no playtime at all. The same didactic, test-driven approach is entering preschools. But these methods, which are not well grounded in research, are not yielding long-term gains. Meanwhile, behavioral problems and preschool expulsion, especially for boys, are soaring. Read and comment on the Alliance’s new report, Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School.
A flier and 8-page summary of the report, including recommendations for action, are also available.
Fact sheet on kindergarten testing, with advice especially for parents.
On May 28, 2009 the Alliance co-hosted a Congressional briefing on early education with the Forum for Education and Democracy.
A webinar hosted by KaBoom! and featuring the authors of the report was recorded on June 2, 2009. To listen you need to register with your name and email.
Media coverage of Crisis in the Kindergarten:
Pressure-Cooker Kindergarten
Patti Hartigan, Boston Globe Magazine
August 30, 2009
Developmentally Appropriate Practice
in the Age of Testing
David McKay Wilson, Harvard Education Letter
May/June 2009
Kindergarten Cram
Peggy Orenstein, The New York Times Magazine
May 3, 2009
Click here for more...
Play and Playwork
New! Policy briefs on play and health and play in kindergartens.
In 2009 the Alliance hosted London playworker Penny Wilson in a series of conferences on inclusive play and play in nature in Ohio, Chicago, and the San Francisco Bay Area. The Playwork Primer by Penny was distributed at the events. Stay tuned for playwork events featuring Penny Wilson in May 2010.
See our fact sheet on playwork, play, and adventure playgrounds.
See webinar on "How to Be a Play Advocate: Tools and Tips for Activists and Troublemakers" done by the Alliance in conjunction with KaBOOM!
See toolkits on establishing Wild Zones for outdoor play and forming Nature Clubs for Families.
Play in the News
Recent articles on the importance of play:
The Answer Sheet, Parental Anxiety is Ruining Playtime
Valerie Strauss, Washington Post
November 9, 2009
Delay Formal Lessons 'to Age Six'
Hannah Richardson, BBC News
October 16, 2009
Let the Kids Play!
Derrick Z. Jackson, The Boston Globe
September 12, 2009
The Serious Need for Play
Melinda Wenner, Scientific American Mind
January 28, 2009
Click here for more...
See Also
"Play in the Early Years": a guide for parents and educators
Fact Sheet on Healthy Play
Award-winning PBS documentary:
"Where Do the Childhren Play?"
A Decade of Advocacy—For the Sake of Children
The Alliance was founded in 1999 so that educators, health professionals, and other advocates for children could join forces to reverse the decline in children's health and well-being. Its public education and advocacy campaigns focus on restoring play to children's lives, the overuse of computers and other advanced technologies in childhood, the commercialization of childhood, and the impact of high-stakes testing on children and their schools. The Alliance has published reports and position statements. It is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization based in College Park, Maryland, with partners and affiliates all over the U.S. and in Europe and South America.
