Delaware § 4803 - Program.

§ 4803. Program.

(a) Early childhood educators are encouraged to create a learning environment that facilitates play-based learning as follows:

(1) Create a learning environment that facilitates child-directed experiences based upon developmentally-appropriate, evidence-based and research-based early childhood practices and purposefully planned, sustained, play opportunities, including movement, creative expression, exploration, socialization, reading for pleasure, art, music, and dramatic play.

(2) Develop physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and academic learning opportunities in all curricular domains which may include time for the discovery of each child’s individual needs, abilities, and talents.

(3) Allow the needs of students to be met by incorporating and integrating play-based learning into daily practice.

(b) Local education agencies may provide ongoing early childhood professional development in play-based learning for early childhood educators, which may include existing early childhood professional development programs developed by the Department, and which may include how to internalize units and lessons within curriculum to ensure the most interactive and engaging portions of the lessons are included as well as strategies to include a play-based approach that still maintains the rigor of the instructional materials.

85 Del. Laws, c. 191, § 1;