After two decades of observing early childhood programs all over America and listening to the concerns of teachers, managers, directors, and principals, former teacher Gramling finds that in the face of brain research regarding early brain development which shows that children learn best by play and discovery and the experiences and conversations to which the child is exposed during the intense brain activity of early childhood, the “opposing camp” is in the majority--those who insist on structure, fundamentals, like letters, numbers, colors, and shapes, and conforming to the demands of institutional life--and that today under the banner of school readiness and accountability, the preschool experience has been reduced to tedious rote learning and strict conformity to routines. Seven chapters are: America discovers poverty; the accountability trap; school readiness goals; changing the way we talk to young children; Amelia’s story; envisioning a preschool classroom that works for all children; where do we go from here? Annotation ©2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)