Previous entry: 
Next entry:
Is TV OK at preschool?
Our toddlers don’t watch much TV. We limit it, on most days, to about 20 minutes of their favorite on-demand show, which is usually Thomas & Friends or Bob the Builder. We need them to sit still long enough to prepare dinner. And it works, providing us a respite from the chaos that usually surrounds these adorable but spirited little boys.
So I understand why preschool and day care teachers sometimes turn on the TV. I need a break with two kids; they endure 10 or so little ones for hours on end. It’s a long day, and plopping them in front of a TV probably seems like a way to regain one’s sanity. And I fully support sane teachers for my children. That said (and you see where this is going): What’s an acceptable amount of TV in preschool or day care? Our boys are 3 and 18 months.
My wife and I have debated this recently as we noticed that our 3-year-old seemed increasingly familiar with cartoon characters. Some he learned at a friend’s house, but others clearly are coming from TV sessions at his school – either during aftercare or the normal school day. We’ve raised this issue before with school folks, but I wonder how far to push it. What would you do?
Gretchen Day-Bryant has a son in high school and a daughter in middle school. She’s lived to tell about the struggles of juggling little kids and work...
Joy Oglesby has an infant daughter and a sister 13 years her junior, whom she babies to the now-adult...
Cindy Kent Fort Lauderdale mother of three. Her kids span in ages from teenager to 20s...
Rafael Olmeda and his wife welcomed their first son in Feb. 2009, and he's helping raise two teenage stepdaughters...
Lois Solomon lives in Boca Raton with her husband and three daughters...
Anne Vasquez is the Online Editor in charge of overseeing SunSentinel.com. She is the mother of a 5-year-old boy and a newborn daughter.
Georgia East is the parent of a five-year-old girl, who came into the world weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces...
Brittany Wallman is the mother of Creed, 13, and Lily, 6, and is married...
Chris Tiedje is the Social Media Coordinator, and father of two boys and a girl all under the age of seven.
Comments
I don't think I've ever seen a TV set at my son's pre-school. Is that common practice? I don't remember ever having a TV as a permanent fixture at school.
I would continue to raise the issue. Maybe the school needs more classroom help. If that's the case, maybe parents can organize to help make that happen by volunteering in the class. That's tough for working parents, but if there's a schedule (like once a month) and a defined period of time, it could work.
Posted by: anne | May 27, 2009 4:04 PM
My wife is the director of a preschool and she would never allow televisions to substitute for proper teaching. Any preschool that uses televisions is lazy and doing your child a disservice. In fact, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) prohibits televisions in the classrooms of schools they accredit. I would demand that they cease using televisions or look for a better school. Go to the NAEYC website for schools that are accredited by them,
Posted by: Jared | May 27, 2009 4:29 PM
My sons preschool does not allow any TV watching either. I'm also a teacher so the whole notion that sometimes you need it to regain your sanity is a copout. If your a good teacher your entire day is planned out and no TV watching is needed. As a parent I understand it but it is unacceptable in a school setting, especially when your paying.
What's so Montessori about watching TV anyway?
Posted by: beth | May 27, 2009 6:44 PM
Interesting comments, thanks. I'm not sure I think a total TV ban in preschools/daycares is necessary. Occasional TV use is OK, and even educational in cases. But kids are going to be bombarded with TV in their lives, so cutting it off in some settings might be smart. Now if we could just do something about airports.
Posted by: Matthew Strozier | May 28, 2009 11:34 AM
I think that TV can be an advantage in teaching our children but it must have a time limit. They also need teacher-student interaction.
Posted by: Peg Perego Uno | May 29, 2009 10:35 PM
No i dont think TV is ok for preschool.Maybe at end of the school year it would be ok.
Posted by: haniel visoso | June 4, 2009 10:33 PM