"Child's Play Spurs Serious Debate"

The debate among early childhood educators over whether precious school hours should be spent on play has simmered for years. But now it is intensifying as preschool for three- and four-year-olds, once the province of child care centers, is increasingly embraced by public school systems as a way to teach students the skills they need to be successful in kindergarten, The Washington Post reports. That is especially true for poor and minority children, and those who speak English as a second language.