Happy New Year!

As we make a fresh start filled with promise and hope, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on where we came from.

This year was hard, 'constant uphill battle' type of hard.

• Constant fluctuation between in-person or virtual learning
• Lack of necessary resources to support learning
• Districts scrambling to write COVID protocols
• Revised recommendations as new variants emerged
• Mixed messages, forced closures, and changing mandates
• Continued standardized testing and rigid score expectations
• ...so many more!

2021 was a year of survival, forcing us all to adapt and create a "new normal". Schools changed their physical parameters to adapt to COVID but academic expectations remained unyielding. Academic standards have never regressed but only escalated in rigor, command, and demands.

Kindergarten is the new first grade and demands improved preparation prior to entering school. The pandemic has only intensified the divides we've seen in education.

The kindergarten we knew in the 90's has moved to preschool and been replaced with the new kindergarten that more closely aligns with first grade standards.

While one perspective shows that our society is advancing, students are capable of more and are growing at a rapid rate another demonstrates we're losing critical soft skills.

Higher academic achievement often comes at the expense of:

• self-reliance
• problem-solving
• spatial thinking
• social skills
• motivation to learn
• creativity
• self-esteem
• motor skills

Parents are not at odds with schools academic goals but chief partners in the development of children. Research consistently shows that play supports students learning of social, physical, emotional, and moral development.

Engaging with your child in play based activities can further support learning in school, building key connections. Students are receiving less opportunities for music, discovery, and play throughout their school day but still need these opportunities.

A silver lining of the pandemic is the opportunity we have to rewrite the partnership between schools and families. How kids learn is just as important as what they're learning. Math facts don't have to be separate from hands-on exploration, building fun games and play-based learning can better promote engagement than drilling worksheets.

EduCaitEdD Consulting is committed to preparing students for school with increased play, exploration, and hands-on opportunities.

As we enter 2022, let us commit to #doingthework , educating our children beyond academics and finding joy in the learning process.

Cheers!

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