ZERO TO FIVE IN 60 SECONDS
Quick tips for parents of young children
By MARK SULLIVAN, Executive Director, Michigan 4C Association

Q: It seems my child spends most of her time in child care at play -- while I work all day. How can I tell if my child is really being prepared for school?

A: Play is serious business for young children. They work as hard at it as you work on your job - and it pays well, too, if you measure the pay in physical, cognitive, emotional, and social growth. Children delight in make-believe or just exploring materials such as blocks, clay or finger paint. Those activities help them practice making choices, develop their fine and gross motor skills, and interact socially with their peers. There is also a great opportunity to nurture creativity during play.

In fact, the most important preparation for Kindergarten is developing a few basic life skills, curiosity, and some abilities to interact well with others, including adults and children. Play helps all those things.

Child care providers can add significantly to the value of play, so it’s worthwhile to ask:

• Is play age-appropriate? For instance, competitive games are usually best left for school-age children.
• Is there time set aside for active and physical play and other, "dramatic" or creative play?
• Does the equipment encourage children to use their imagination - not limiting their play to a single purpose or skill?
• Do children have a chance to express themselves while playing and make choices?
• Does the provider guide with a "light touch" to extend play, but not over-direct it or try to make it too obviously "instructive?"
• Does the provider converse with the children to draw out ideas? (Telling children what to do or asking "quiz questions" such as, "What color is that?" doesn’t count.) Look instead for speculating with an open-ended question such as, "Now that Mommy has her baby all dressed, where do you think they might go, and what will they do there?"

When all those things are happening, play really works!

Reach your local Michigan 4C agency with your questions about young children by calling 1-866-4CHILDCARE during business hours from your home phone. Look for more child care tips on this web site. Email your ZERO TO FIVE questions to Sullivan@mi4c.org.