NERD 0435 The (Problematic) PreK Push

Rixa Evershed is an early childhood educator, administrator, and advocate who has some big thoughts about PreK. She's here in this episode to talk with host Heather Bernt-Santy to talk through the ways our current PreK push is missing the point. So many points.

How can we help families understand (and relax about) the panic we've created around covid, learning loss, and academic "recovery?"

Should we be talking about teaching or development?

Why is it so easy to ignore or hide research about "real" quality indicators, brain development, and play?

And where does motor development fit in?

Rixa and Heather cover a lot in this episode.

Order Heather’s book, Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood, here: https://www.tcpress.com/products/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood_9780807783177

Join our new Patreon community! For just $5 a month you can support all the Early Childhood Nerdwork podcasts AND join our Discord server to chat with the hosts and others who are working for children, their families, and their teachers: https://www.patreon.com/cw/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd

Thanks for listening!