What an exciting thing to have “universal” prekindergarten available in NYC. I put universal in quotes because, of course it is not yet universal. As an advocate, I love the idea of prekindergarten being available to all children. We know that the expectations of Kindergarten are much higher than years ago, and while we may work our hardest to integrate more play and choice time into the Kindergarten curriculum and push the idea that children to not develop at the same rate in a perfectly linear way, having a year of developmentally appropriate play with a focus on social and emotional skills and an introduction to school routines with underlying pre-academic skills seems like a great opportunity.

When the news was hitting that the new initiative in NYC would actually come to fruition, I was actually at a point in my semester of teaching where we were reading about Kindergarten and the history of Kindergarten in the United States. The reading in the textbook was about how early proponents of this new thing called Kindergarten were against having it in the regular schools because they worried that if they were folded into the schools that the academics would trickle down and it would change from what it was intended to be. I found this particularly relevant as we look at making prekindergarten universal. It would seem that perhaps their fears were realized and now some early childhood advocates may have the same fears about prekindergarten.

It does feel that this initiative is moving fast in NYC and when things move fast, there is a possibility of making choices and decisions that are made hurriedly and without seeing the big picture. I worry about the new “prek university” taking place with a partnership with the city university where some without any educational background in the field will be taking 12 credits and observing some students and are then deemed ready to start in the lead teacher role in September. Yes, we may not have enough certified teachers ready for prek, but can we actually believe that the Teachers Fellows and Teach for America model of the past and present are really what we want for our new prek teachers? Having been a higher educator for some time now, I know my adult learners often need about 2 years of teaching before they hit their stride and this is often with a full Masters degree behind them and having been an Assistant teacher for at least a year and having student taught in different age groups. I worry we are not respecting the role of the teacher and the importance of the teacher – something that research continuously assures us is crucial.

This is not to say, I don’t look forward to the expansion of UPK in NYC. I may not agree with a number of decisions that those in charge are making, but fundamentally, I think that it’s a great opportunity for many children in NYC. I hope that those of us who have read the research in early childhood and have been in the profession for awhile will immerse ourselves in this movement and offer our expertise. We know that the best way for children of this way to learn is through long blocks of play time. We know how to allow the curriculum to emerge from the children while also embedding important pre-skills in all developmental areas into their natural play. We know that one size does not fit all and children to not develop at the same rate at the same time. Let’s get working!

One of the things that I stress the most to the adult educators I teach in higher education classes is that the learning environment is crucial to children’s success. We need to look at every aspect of the learning environment from every angle. We need to understand what can be changed in the environment and what cannot – often it’s more than we think. We need to understand how children respond to the environment and based on their behavior alter the environment to meet their needs. We talk about the furniture, the materials, what we have control over and what we do not.

I firmly believe this. Teachers must take the time to evaluate what is going on in their classroom and understand the environment as a possible help or hindrance to children’s behavior and learning. One way to do this is to draw out the room and have an area that is Noisy, Quiet, Wet and Dry and once this is written in quadrants, then teachers can decide what goes into each. Teachers should advocate for what they need in the classroom – either from a materials perspective, furniture, sink, etc.

The environment can make or break a child’s day, and children may need different things from the environment. However, some level of consistency and structure is needed for them to feel safe and thrive. This level of consistency might vary based on the program, philosophy, and children.

In my higher education work, I hope to instill teachers with the confidence to examine their environment thoroughly, document their findings, and adjust when needed. I would like them to feel empowered to make the changes needed to set up all children for success.