Nancy Carlsson-Paige, an early childhood education expert who taught for many years at Lesley University in Cambridge, writes here at Edsurge, a tech website,explaining why online preschool is a truly rotten idea.
It is a terrific article, and it begins like this:
The recent growth of online preschools, already in existence in at least eight states, gives states an inexpensive way to deliver pre-K education. But it is a sorry substitute for the whole child, play-based early childhood education that all young children deserve to have.
Cyber schools have been increasing over the last twenty years, and most programs are marketed by for-profit companies. The more recent emergence of online preschool programs opens the door for cyber education businesses to cash in on the estimated $70 billion per year “pre-K market.”
In an education reform climate that has redefined education as academic standards and success on tests, online pre-K programs are an easy sell. Parents are ready to buy into computer-based programs that will get their kids ready for kindergarten by drilling them on letters and numbers. The programs teach discrete, narrow skills through repetition and rote learning. The truth is that for children to master the print system or concepts of number, they have to go through complex developmental progressions that build these concepts over time through activity and play.
Young children don’t learn optimally from screen-based instruction. Kids learn through activity. They use their bodies, minds and all of their senses to learn. They learn concepts through hands-on experiences with materials in three-dimensional space. Through their own activity and play, and their interactions with peers and teachers, children build their ideas gradually over time.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The real motive for cyber pre-K programs is to tap into the estimated $70 billion dollar market. It will not help, and it most likely will hurt young children since nobody knows the impact on brain and eye development in young children subjected to hours of screen time. Companies have no problem ignoring these issues as they are focused on the profit they can make.
Early cyber education betrays the nature of the young child. “Play is the work of the child.” It is how young children learn to make sense of the world. They learn through their senses, their sense of wonder and their natural curiosity. I hope young children, being true to their nature, simply get up and leave their “work stations,” after a few minutes of boredom. Early cyber indoctrination is another form of exploitation for those that cannot afford a legitimate preschool for their child. This is another example of non-evidence based corporate greed.
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Another big caveat of this article is that cyber instruction will actually impede child development. Child development experts have stated that young children must go through the sensory exploration phase before formal academics can be learned. Intense early cyber instruction may actually impede the natural learning progression. It is unfortunate that poor students will most likely be the guinea pigs for this. It seems to me that this plan will enable an early sorting of separate and unequal “education” on a mostly minority population.
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“Another big caveat of this article is that [PreK] cyber instruction will actually impede child development.”
How obvious. One would hope, for low-income families where both parents are working, any sort of childcare short of institutional– where such travesties might be operational– is available. Far better a relative, or tiny in-home daycare, where one might find, at minimum, some social interaction & freedom to explore environment [even indoor-only] hands-on/ concrete.
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Diane The only thing advocates of online preschool classes prove is how IGNORANT they
are of (1) children and (2) education. CBK
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Agreed, Catherine. My first reaction to the idea of online pre-K (and K for that matter) was to laugh. I could see a SNL skit in the making. Online water table or sandbox, anyone? How about online blocks or dress-ups?
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Piaget Schmiaget
Piaget said “Let them play”
Coleman said “No way”
Betsy said “It’s testing day”
What more is there to say?
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Pay For Success Is Here To Stay
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The signs on pre schools these days has me very concerned. They are promoting Montessori style learning using STEAM education with “coding skills”. I can’t understand how well-to-do parents fall for this and put their children in these dreadful places? I guess I live in the land of comparison, competition, consumerism with a big mix of social media mixed in and this is the newest rage for tots? SCARY!
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The “Montessori” part makes me hopeful. Montessori methods were very helpful for my 3 [unconventional] kids, as they allowed them to proceed guided by self-initiative. The thing which distinguished Montessori schools were large chunks of time free for kids to work w/matls designed for self-directed learning. Teachers free-floated/ assisted/ took notes; kids filled out PreK-friendly activity-reports & filed in cubbies. It’s possible that the buzzwords you note [STEAM, coding] refer to longstanding or newly-tooled matls of the same sort.
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Has Diane Ravitch read the book “Screen Schooled: Two Veteran Teachers Expose How Technology Overuse Is Making Our Kids Dumber,” by Joe Clement and Matt Miles? I’m reading it now, and I find it to be informative and provocative. I recommend it those interested in the topic.
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No but I will
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Having a 4 year old in pre k currently it boggles my mind truly to think how in the world do you have an on line pre k? Here it comes……this country has lost its mind!
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There are “Online Preschools”!!!!
The insanity built on a foundation of greed only gets worse. Only total narcissists and psychopaths with no conscience would go after preschoolers to get rich.
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Online Prebirth
A screen in the womb
Will jump start the kids
Don’t worry ’bout room
Just show ’em the vids!
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Some (or Sane-?) DAM Poet: LOVE this one!!!!
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Utah is the first violator here, as it pretends to have “universal pre-K” by doing this online garbage. The parents that have been interviewed love the program, but I don’t know what percentage of parents actually like it. I think it’s malpractice, especially when children tha age need real play and real connections with real people.
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“Online Preschool Stinks!”
But then how else do you prepare your child for online college? Besides, my preschooler is already very busy with his phone and tablet, and she will soon start working. It’ll be much more convenient for her to do her preschool studies online since she needs the flexibility to fit her busy schedule.
My main question about online preschool programs is, if they are practical, if they teach real-life skills or they waste my child time and my money with the usual useless content like fairy tales and songs, not to mention drawing and painting. Do you guys know?
Also, is there already a public online preschool so that I don’t have to pay for the darn thing?
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This is the part I do not understand: we want to let kids play when they are young, but then we suddenly want them to sit still, and “listen to content” from age 6 and up? I am of course mostly thinking about learning math.
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