It's Wednesday morning. As children arrive at school, two small boys run into the bright orange building that houses the Gardner Children's Center in San Jose. Heading straight for their teacher, Irene Burgos, the boys begin rummaging in their backpacks as she stands patiently waiting. Each boy proudly pulls out an egg. Burgos shouts, "Yay! David and Ernesto brought their eggs!"

Last year the Gardner Children's Center was singled out as a model for school readiness programming by the federal Start Early, Finish Strong report. But kids at the Gardner Center aren't sitting at desks doing worksheets and drills. Instead conversation, art, and play form the basis of their education. Executive Director Fred Ferrer says that, "if kids aren't doing well in general, knowing the alphabet won't help them." So rather than push a standardized curriculum, the Gardner Center promotes health, social development, and oral communication, laying the basis for later reading and writing.

Language development

This month the prekindergartners are learning about eggs—an example of the center's project-based strategy for developing children's skills and approaches to learning. First Burgos read the class a book, Ruth Heller's Chickens Aren't the Only Ones, and the children discussed animals that lay eggs. The rest of the month includes several egg-related art projects and science experiments. Today there is a large, hanging eggshell collage on the wall and a "rubber" egg in the corner of the room.

Project-based learning: Fun, creative projects interest and engage the kids in activities that build their skills, Burgos says. Today at story time, she passes around a colorful egg basket filled with finger puppets. She asks each child to choose an animal, then asks if that creature lays eggs. She engages the child in describing the animal and asks the child what type of story she thinks her puppet has to tell. By encouraging the kids to speak up and use their imaginations, Burgos is helping them build oral language skills, vocabulary, and creativity.

Projects like the study of eggs fit with the way preschoolers learn, says Burgos. They "ground the children's learning in play." Teachers use a similar strategy for helping kids learn to distinguish the sounds in words. Rather than drilling children on syllable sounds, teachers lead them in songs and rhyming games.

Learning to love books: Jennifer Jensen, whose daughter Savannah attended preschool at Gardner, says, "Every afternoon one of the instructors sits down and reads all the kids a story. They can bring in a book of their own and the teacher will read it to them. I also see kids at Gardner reading to the teachers." Teachers often take their classes to the Biblioteca, the center's own library, where kids can look at books in Spanish and English, take part in story time, and learn how to check out books on their own.

Learning at mealtime: Even meals at the Gardner Center are a time for learning and practicing new skills—especially with a topic like eggs. One day Burgos gave each child an egg to take home and boil. The next day, when the whole class returned with their boiled eggs, Burgos helped her students mash the eggs, mix them with mayonnaise, and make egg-salad sandwiches.

Social development

The Gardner Center sees social development as central in early childhood education. The most important way the center prepared Savannah for kindergarten, says Jensen, was by "teaching her how to interact with other kids—what's right, what's acceptable. They give the kids lots of social skills -- and morals."

Peacebuilding: The key to that social development is a "peace-building" philosophy that Gardner Center teaches the kids: "praise people, give up put-downs, right wrongs, seek wise people." Burgos uses this motto in talking with the kids, referring often to the banner that lines her room. During circle time, Burgos combines voices, noises, and hand-movements to tell the tale of a turtle who steals a village's corn. When the villagers capture the turtle, he tricks them into throwing him into the river so he can swim to freedom. When the people realize he's tricked them, they at first want revenge. But the turtle comes up with a better solution. He tells the villagers to be peace-builders rather than fighters and suggests they all plant corn together so no one will go hungry. Burgos asks the children to talk about what they can do to be peace-builders like the turtle.

Peaceable clean-up: Later, when it is time to clean the room, Burgos continues the theme of peace-building by asking: "Can anyone help clean up? It would really help me and it would help your friends." When several students begin picking up the toys and books on the floor, Burgos praises them by saying, "Thank you peace-builders, that was so sweet. I'm so happy, look at my smile!"

Role-playing: Role-playing is another important tool for teaching peace-building. When several children begin making fun of each other, Burgos uses puppets to create a similar scene, then asks the kids how they would feel to be in that situation. Watching the stuffed animals squabble, the kids easily recognize that such behavior isn't peace-building. Burgos then guides them in a discussion about being a considerate friend.

Health and family

"The Gardner Center monitors the health of students in the hopes of preventing later problems and paving the way for healthy and successful future school careers," says Ferrer. Every kid at the Gardner Center receives an annual check-up and dental screening, as well as breakfast, lunch, and one snack each day.

Room for parents: The center also places a strong emphasis on families' role in child development, striving "to get past filling out forms to really talk with parents," says Ferrer. Through Gardner's Parent Services Program, parents meet to plan whatever educational and social activities they choose. Parent meetings provide "a social group for parents," says Jensen, "where we can get a feel of the school and share our concerns with other parents." The group has held health fairs, parent programs, open houses, and literacy nights. Events like the recent family camping weekend give parents and children quality time with other families.

Parents: What to look for at child care or preschool

• Teachers asking and answering questions, talking and listening to children
• Adults talking with and reading to children in the language their families use
• A wide selection of books in English and the children's other languages, available to children at all times
• Children read to throughout the day, at regular times and at children's request
• Labels on containers, shelves, and other classroom objects
• Children's ideas and stories written and displayed
• Chalkboards, easels, paper, crayons, and markers
• Letter tiles, alphabet blocks and puzzles, magnetic letters
• Blocks and other materials for building, sorting, and manipulating
• Opportunities for running, jumping, climbing, dancing, and dramatic play
• Plenty of opportunity for children to choose their own activities
• Learning through activities and projects rather than direct instruction in skills and facts

Sources: Contra Costa Child Care Council; Paula Young-Shelton, National Black Child Development Institute; Lillian Katz, University of Illinois; Sue Bredekamp, National Association for the Education of Young Children

Extra resources from the Children’s Advocate bulletin (updated 6-06)

• Alliance for Childhood offers information on the importance of play in early childhood, including a play fact sheet and a call to action with policy recommendations. Online at http://www.allianceforchildhood.org
  
  
• Play at the Center of the Curriculum discusses the value of play in early childhood classrooms and how curriculum can support play. Topics include cultural diversity, children with special needs, and meeting standards. $60. By Patricia Nourot, Barbara Scales, and Keith Rodriquez Alward. Summary online from Prentice Hall at http://vig.prenhall.com/catalog/academic/product/0,1144,0131720821,00.html
  
  
• Playing to Get Smart discusses how play helps children develop life skills, such as creative thinking and social problem solving. $20. By Elizabeth Jones and Renatta Cooper. Summary online from Teachers College Press at http://store.tcpress.com/0807746169.shtml
  
  
• More than just child's play, from the March 2006 Children's Advocate, offers advice from parents and parenting experts on how--and why--to play with babies.
  Online(in English, Spanish, and Chinese) at http://www.4children.org/issues/2006/march_april/more_than_just_childrsquos_play/
  
  

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