September 15, 2024
Greetings PACT members,
Play. To those of us in the Early Childhood Profession, Play is complex, it’s comprehensive, providing opportunities for the child to develop, practice and refine their language, social-emotional and physical skills. It’s essential for every child at every age because it IS developmentally appropriate. Play should be the focus of a nursery school’s philosophy and curriculum. In short, Play is enough.
Yet play is genuinely misunderstood. The role of the educator as a facilitator and manager of Play is equally underappreciated. At the same time, the world is filled with mixed messages about what kids need. We see catalogs filled with “educational” toys. We feel pressured to have our kids work on their letters and numbers. We feel pressure to show academic learning in classrooms in which play is enough. As professionals we’re not only aware of parents’ anxiety about who wants to provide the best for their child; but we’re also not sure how to communicate effectively the importance of Play.
It is in this context that I am very excited to welcome you to PACT’s 2024-25 fall professional development days, which are focused on Play. Our presenters Stacy Benge and Mike Huber are both experts in the field and staunch defenders of a child's need to play and focus on the development of their bodies, knowing that brain development will naturally follow. Please join me at these exciting workshops, which are of course included in a 2024-25 PACT Membership!
James Scott Mitchell
PACT President
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