How Real Programs Bring High-Quality Learning to Life
Join early childhood leaders as they share how an intentional, play-based approach to early childhood education fosters engagement and deep learning in their classrooms, strengthens teacher practice, and engages families. In this panel discussion, leaders will highlight the strategies, structures, and supports that help them bring high-quality play-based learning to life every day—and the impact they’ve seen on children’s confidence, curiosity, attendance, and growth.
You’ll hear real examples of how programs are implementing play-based, developmentally appropriate practice with consistency and intentionality, along with recent research showing how a connected ecosystem of solutions, including The Creative Curriculum, helps make that level of quality possible across classrooms.
Welcome to a three-part series for early childhood program leaders from Head Start, private child care, and public preschool exploring high-quality play-based learning and how it drives meaningful, measurable positive outcomes for children, families, and educators. Over the course of this series, we’ll examine the foundations of play-based learning, supportive leadership practices, and real-world examples of the practice at work.
Whether you’re new to early childhood education or deeply experienced, this series will help you observe intentional play with confidence, create the conditions for play to thrive, and see how high-quality play-based learning improves engagement at all levels, attendance, and kindergarten readiness.
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Understanding and Observing High-Quality Play-Based LearningWednesday, February 4, 2026 | 3:00PM EST -
Leading High-Quality Play-Based ProgramsWednesday, February 11, 2026 | 3:00PM EST
