Three years ago, Cabarrus County Schools began emphasizing play in kindergarten. Now, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools parents want the same in their district.
During the 2022-23 school year, Cabarrus County Schools rolled out play-based learning curriculum in four pilot kindergarten classrooms throughout the district. The district phased it into other schools over the next two years, eventually having 45 to 60 minutes of dedicated play-based learning time in each kindergarten class in the district this year.
They say it involves areas for kids to choose what they want to engage with: blocks, art, performance, reading, writing, for example, and allows them to have time each day to explore topics in the ways they want to…