James,
I know with children who are at risk for having a larger achievement gap entering Kindergarten, the push in some low-income areas may be teaching alphabet, numbers, etc., even using worksheets and all the things we know are not developmentally appropriate for preschool children (I am assuming you are referring to preschool?). Here is an NAEYC link to play and articles that help you or administrators know how to connect play with learning.
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics/playChildren learn best and quickest through play. That is their route for learning; therefore, making sure the daily schedule has plenty of play (both indoor and outdoor) with language, literacy, math, and science intentionally worked in is essential. Some examples include having a play restaurant set up where there are menus with pictures of food with the name of the food written underneath. Then have little note pads and pens ready for the server to take people's orders. At my place I hadn't even thought about it, but the cook at the restaurant even found the instructions to a game in the classroom that she brought over and was using as the "recipe" she was following. Another person decided to write the recipe for what she was cooking in a notepad. You can have a veterinarian office where there is a notebook to sign their name when they arrive and wait for their name to be called when it is their pet's turn to see the vet. Then have a notepad for the vet to write down the care instructions for their pet. We had empty pill bottles for the children to use to give the pet owner. They can write in the instructions the number 2 when they instruct that the pet needs to take 2 pills each day.
However, maybe you were referring to school age since you wrote 'students'. I guess you just need to point the decision makers to the articles on the importance of play. You could even set up some play-based learning areas in your classroom to show administrators how it works and have them watch the children in action and show how scores are improving, etc.
Tell me more why you wrote your comment and more about what kinds of help you are looking for.
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DeAnn Jones
Co-Facilitator for the Family Child Care Interest Forum
Discovery Place Child Care, LLC
Bozeman, MT
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-25-2019 01:04 PM
From: James Morales
Subject: Play Gap
Poor students play less than middle class students?
How can we get more playtime in the day for our kids that have fewer parks and fewer chances to play?
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James Morales
Teacher
Head Start
Far Rockaway NY
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