2018 VSBA Annual Convention

Study after study reaches the conclusion that early childhood education has a tremendous impact on life outcomes. Yet only 51% of 3-and-4-year-olds in the US are enrolled in full-day preprimary programs, with no improvement in the last 15 years. In this session, educators from the front lines will talk about the latest thinking in early childhood education. Along with educational planners and architects, they will review three projects designed to support early childhood education and how these spaces do or do not meet the needs of early learners. One project has been in operation for nearly a decade, one opened in 2017, and one is in the early planning stages. Participants will hear about approaches from three different districts in Virginia, understand best practices and lessons learned from these projects, and engage in a dialogue about the opportunities and challenges ahead.