Upcoming Events:
A seminar on the importance of play-based education
May 8, 2012, Washington, D.C.
Co-hosted by the Alliance and the Gesell Institute in partnership with the US Department of Education. For information about the seminar see the flier and the program. It can be attended without charge but registration before May 2 is necessary.
Presentations on play-based learning in preschool and kindergarten
May 19, Burlington, Vermont
Read our April Update for details.
Keep up with the latest!
All of the Alliance Updates are archived here.
The family that plays together stays together. A KaBOOM! film featuring many children along with six play advocates, including the Alliance's Joan Almon.
Watch it now
Also view our earlier films:
Prescription for Play
Physicians speak out on the importance of play for children's health. Co-produced by Alliance for Childhood and KaBOOM!
Playwork: An Introduction
Recently Published:
A Research-Based Case for More Play and Less Pressure
by Joan Almon and Edward Miller
This four-page article succinctly makes the case for
play-based education.
Crisis in the Kindergarten:
Why Children Need to Play in School
Research shows that many kindergartens spend 2 to 3 hours per day instructing and testing children in literacy and math—with only 30 minutes per day or less for play. In some kindergartens there is no playtime at all. The same didactic, test-driven approach is entering preschools. But these methods, which are not well grounded in research, are not yielding long-term gains. Meanwhile, behavioral problems and preschool expulsion, especially for boys, are soaring. A flier and 8-page summary of the report, including recommendations for action, are also available.
Fact sheet on kindergarten testing, with advice especially for parents.
On May 28, 2009 the Alliance co-hosted Congressional briefing on early education with the Forum for Education and Democracy.
A webinar hosted by KaBOOM! and featuring the authors of the report was recorded on June 2, 2009.
Click here for media coverage of Crisis in the Kindergarten.
Play in the News
Killing Kindergarten
Amanda Moreno
The Huffington Post, March 29, 2012
Toddlers to Tweens: Relearning How to Play
Stephanie Hanes
The Christian Science Monitor, January 22, 2012
The American Academy of Pediatrics has released its second report on play with a focus on children in poverty.
Read it here.
Fun and Leisure: Restoring Play to All Children
Joan Almon
Published by NCPAD
The Alliance executive director writes about inclusive play.
How children's 'play' is being sneakily redefined
Alfie Kohn
The Washington Post, November 16, 2011
Preschool Tests Take Time Away from Play—and Learning
Paul Tullis
Scientific American, November 2, 2011
Paul Tullis raises the questions, "The trend in early education is to move from a play-based curriculum to a more school-like environment of directed learning. But is earlier better? And better at what?"
All Work and No Play: Why Your Kids are More Anxious, Depressed
Esther Entin, M.D.
The Atlantic, October 12, 2011
Dr. Entin writes, "Play time is in short supply for children these days and the lifelong consequences for developing children can be more serious than many people realize."
Click here for more...
The Alliance works with other organizations to advocate for play for all children, both in school and out. It also promotes the profession of playwork. Playworkers support children’s play in parks and other settings without dominating or directing it. For fact sheets, videos, booklets, and more on play and playwork, click here.
New from the Alliance: Where Do the Children Play? A newly revised and expanded edition of the Study Guide to the PBS documentary film, with essays by scholars and teachers on the history, psychology, and politics of children’s free play and the growing movement to bring it back into children’s lives. A selection from the book; ordering information.
The Alliance and the Association for Childhood Education International have launched an international campaign to improve the conditions of childhood around the world. Too many children grow up without the basic skills needed in a modern world—not only academic skills but also empathy, civility, and a sense of ethical behavior. Many are more comfortable with electronic relationships than face-to-face human ones. Too many are alienated from the world of nature. The long-term effects of an unhealthy childhood will weaken societies that need educated, creative, compassionate, and well-rounded citizens who can bring mature insights to complex issues. The Decade was launched at the Global Summit on Childhood, in Washington, March 28-31, 2012.
Alliance Childhood poster
(with poem and statement of 7 essentials of healthy childhood)
11 x 17 print size
8 1/2 x 11 page one and page two
To order print copies of the 11 x 17 poster ($5) go to the donation page and type "poster" in the note line.
A Dozen Years of Advocacy
For the Sake of Children
The Alliance was founded in 1999 so that educators, health professionals, and other advocates for children could join forces to reverse the decline in children's health and well-being. Its public education and advocacy campaigns focus on restoring play to children's lives, the overuse of computers and other advanced technologies in childhood, the commercialization of childhood, and the impact of high-stakes testing on children and their schools. The Alliance has published reports and position statements. It is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization based in College Park, Maryland, with partners and affiliates all over the U.S. and in Europe and South America.
