Giving Compass' Take:

• Nancy Carlsson-Paige, writing for EdSurge, discusses why online preschool is not an ideal option for early childhood education. 

• The author contends that online preschools are becoming more popular in poorer, rural areas. If these schools are the only options for some families, how can they incorporate activity-based learning into their child's instruction? Can philanthropists help support districts that need formal early childhood education centers? 

• Read more about why experts are calling an end to online preschools. 

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.

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.

Cyber schools have grown most rapidly in poor, urban and rural districts. Virtual schools have abysmally low test scores and graduation rates, but the companies that market them earn staggering profits gleaned from taxpayer dollars.

Online pre-K will widen achievement gaps and increase inequality. Kids who get a screen-based pre-K experience will be at a disadvantage compared to their counterparts in wealthier communities who thrive in rich, activity-centered programs that support their cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development—programs such as Reggio Emilia, Waldorf, and other quality, play-based preschool programs.

Recently, more than one hundred early childhood leaders and organizations signed a position statement objecting to online preschools.

Read the full article about online preschools by Nancy Carlsson-Paige at EdSurge