Childcare Versus Creating a Home of Learning

Children benefit from attending an accredited preschool program, and in no way does creating a home of learning replace this experience. Accredited preschools follow a plan that balances child-choice activities with academic-based, teacher-led activities (for example, learning and writing a different letter of the alphabet each week, the months of the year, and more as this becomes developmentally appropriate). Preschool is designed to prepare a foundation for school-age instruction-based learning. My children all attended partial-day preschool programs starting at the recommended age of two and a half.

Much of what is shared in this book is practiced in accredited centers as part of an annual plan that is structured and designed using the state curriculum frameworks of early childhood standards.

If a parent is homeschooling, he or she can easily use the learning areas described as part of a homeschool curriculum. There are many wonderful homeschool programs and resources available.

Family childcare and home care providers will also benefit from using this setup in a home setting, and it can accommodate multiple children of various ages. There are many resources available online from the Administration for Children and Families and the National Association for Family Child Care.

Setting up different areas of play establishes a natural environment of play and learning for all children, in every situation. The tools and techniques are dynamic and fluid. How and when a parent or child care provider uses these learning areas, whether before school, after school or as “school” is up to her or him!

The paperback version of Create a Home of Learning is available at Amazon, your favorite bookseller or jodidee.com