Reddit reviews Handbook of Research on Curriculum: A Project of the American Educational Research Association

This Psychology Today article summarizes these three studies. The three studies look at different types of preschool programs and their long-term impacts on development and adult outcomes. This document looks specifically at reading skills for young children, but the message of the importance of developmentally appropriate practice is applicable to all aspects of early learning.

In terms of programs that fit this philosophy, there are a few that have decided to publically share what they do. Play Counts is one of them. Like I said earlier, Denita runs a fantastic preschool program and is very articulate about how her approaches set children up for success down the road. Teacher Tom writes a blog about his play-based co-operative early learning program, and again is very articulate about how his program sets children up for success. Both teachers are very reflective, and run programs that are responsive to the specific children in their care.

Not every playful program will look the same, and that is exactly the beauty of them. Each group of children is unique, and a truly playful program will adapt to meet the needs of the children in the space.

As a last note, I want to encourage you to be wary of any program with a specific "teaching philosophy" such as Montessori or Reggio. There's absolutely nothing wrong with these philosophies, and there are many excellent schools that run under these names. There are also a lot of schools who charge exorbitant tuition fees because they have a fancy title, but don't actually follow the philosophy they claim to be inspired by. There is no restriction to who can use the term "Montessori" or "Reggio-inspired", and I've actually met teachers working in "Reggio-inspired" preschools who talked about Reggio Emilia as if it were a person, and not a city.

I love what /u/weebles_wobbles said about finding a program that makes you comfortable because you know she will be happy and encouraged to grow as a whole child. At the end of the day, that's what you need - a place with teachers that you trust to love and support your child while providing her with experiences that will bring her joy.