Caring for Our Children : On to Kindergarten--and, More Crucial, Life : Some preschools emphasize academic preparation; others focus on creativity and play. The choice should match the child.

As mounting research suggests that critical brain development occurs in the first three to five years of life, an increasing number of parents across the country are looking for child care that includes an educational component. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds attending some type of school program has increased from 15.7% in 1968 to 47.9% in 1998.

Further, a recent report from the California superintendent’s office said that children who attend “quality” preschools are less likely to be placed in special education, drop out of school, get pregnant as teenagers or have problems with law enforcement. They are also more likely to attend college and avoid long periods of unemployment or welfare.

A quality preschool was defined as providing a safe and healthy child care environment while meeting children’s relationship needs and helping them reach developmental milestones.

Structured Learning or Unstructured Play

But families encounter distinctly different philosophies. Some preschools emphasize creativity and the child’s own desires, while others focus on academics and structured learning.

At Pinecrest Preschool in Northridge, for example, teachers use flashcards and work sheets to test preschoolers on basic phonics and math concepts. Students, who have assigned seats during lesson time, also are given almost daily homework “to help them learn they have the responsibility to do homework and bring it back,” said assistant director Roni Holloway.

“We do lessons every day--even the 2-year-olds,” she said, adding that there is also scheduled playtime. “Our pre-kindergarten is equivalent to a public school kindergarten.”

The goal, Holloway said, is for children to become relatively self-sufficient, learn to share and not hurt others’ feelings.

“We don’t expect a child to go grocery shopping for the family,” she said, “but to be able to express themselves when they need something or want something, to clean up their own messes and have them learn that there are things they can do even though they’re little.”

She acknowledged that some say young children’s routines shouldn’t be so structured because they can expect an entire lifetime of that soon enough.

“By the same token, that’s what society is: It is a very structured society, and you have to do this and you have to do that,” she said. A structured preschool serves as a “good beginning,” she added.

At the Children’s Center at Caltech, by contrast, play and unstructured learning are the touchstones.

“Patty, I want to dance,” a young girl recently told Patricia Gomez, a preschool teacher at the center.

“You want to dance? That’s fine,” Gomez answered, as the girl proceeded to jump and twirl around a room in which music was playing. In an adjacent room, a boy started laying down some wooden blocks on the carpet in an elaborate pattern. “This is my street,” he said.

“He likes to make traffic jams,” Gomez said jokingly. And that was fine with her. It was also fine for another girl to go outside and play, since she had informed Gomez of her choice.

Director Jeanette Couture contends that “children learn best when they follow their own interests.”

“We want whole kids who are healthy, happy and eager to learn and not burned out by the time they’re 7,” she said.

Often teachers let the children guide their own learning. The water table outside, for example, may have heavy and light objects inside. Children can learn what sinks and what doesn’t.

“If you have children who try to figure it out, they’ll be testers. They’ll have the internal mechanism to think it through,” Couture said. “You don’t want to stifle that, and sometimes the educational system does that right away.”

Educators who subscribe to either the structured or developmental approaches swear by their philosophies, but agree that their way isn’t necessarily the right one for every child.

The child’s personality should be matched with an appropriate program, they said. Some parents choose a more structured environment for children who seem to need adult direction, while parents of the more adventurous may opt for a preschool in which their children are freer to explore their interests.

Ellen Junn, a professor of child and adolescent studies at Cal State Fullerton, said that more early-learning programs are integrating both teacher-directed and child-oriented approaches.

She attributed the shift to research showing that children can become emotionally distressed as a result of being pushed beyond their academic limits but that some routine is helpful.

“Sometimes the pressure comes from parents,” Junn said. “They think, ‘I’m spending all this money, so why isn’t Johnny learning to read?’ But it’s a very bad idea to stress the child into achieving things they’re not cognitively ready to achieve.”

The National Assn. for the Education of Young Children, a professional organization that offers accreditation for preschools, promotes early childhood learning programs that balance individualized, nurturing care and education through what it calls “developmentally appropriate” practices.

“It’s knowing and understanding that early childhood education is not just elementary school for younger children,” said Barbara Warman, a public policy coordinator of the Washington, D.C.-based organization. “It’s also based on the idea and knowledge that young children don’t develop at the same rate.”

Craig Lancaster, a coordinator at the Child Development Division of the Los Angeles Unified School District, which runs local state-funded preschools, said these schools follow the association’s published guidelines.

The preschools, offered free to qualifying low-income families, try to cater to a child’s interests by offering such things as a playhouse corner, a table of toys, sand, water and a library area, Lancaster said. They also emphasize a routine: circle times when children gather in a group, transition times from one activity to another, snack times and rest times.

Nurturing an Attitude of Acceptance

Both early childhood experts and parents agree that preschool is about more than preparing children for kindergarten. There are larger life lessons to be learned.

“The beauty of good preschool experience is to have children interact with other children of different backgrounds,” said Kathy Mitchell, director of Granada Preschool in Granada Hills. Her school tries to attract children from diverse ethnic and economic groups.

She described how one immigrant Russian child at the school who spoke limited English was never mocked for her accent but instead was helped along by her classmates.

“That’s what is so encouraging,” she said. “ . . . You really feel with the appropriate environment, they can sustain that accepting attitude.”

On a more basic level, when 4-year-old Michelle, who attends the Children’s Center at Caltech, was asked why she likes preschool, she responded: “Because . . . wait a minute.” Then she ran off to the playground, quickly returning with another girl in tow. Michelle pointed to the girl and said, “This is my silly friend.”

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Preschool Checklist

Is the faculty licensed and accredited? Is it clean and well cared for? Snacks or meals should be nutritious.

Are the children under adult supervision at all times? Does the staff articulate clear health and safety procedures.

Do the children have sufficient time for play? Are books, puzzles and other materials within their reach? A good sing: daily reading to the children.

Is staff turnover low? At a minimum, the preschool director should have a strong background in early childhood development.

At least one adult should be present for every nine or 10 preschoolers. However, the size of the groups should be small.

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