Campbell Child Development Center

10/08/2026

💭 National Day of Play is behind us, but the work isn't.

The mud kitchens get cleaned up. The chalk washes away. But the right to play doesn't expire on September 20th — it's every day, everywhere, for every child.
So as we close out this year’s national day of play: thank you for hosting, for signing up, for tagging your representatives, for proving that this movement is bigger than one Saturday in September.

What's one way YOU will keep protecting play in your community this fall? 👇

10/05/2026

Large group activities often called circle time, group time and gathering need to be brief and focus of connecting as a group instead of long drawn out activities where children are expected to sit and listen.

“Eyes on me” tells you where they’re looking, not whether they’re listening.

09/27/2026

PLAY + Outside = thriving healthy development!

And yes, playing outside applies to academic skills, too. Let us explain...

We can teach a preschooler to name a shape or recognize a sight word. But being able to repeat the right answer is a narrow measure of learning. It doesn’t tell us whether a child can focus, hold information in mind, adjust when a plan fails, communicate an idea, or keep trying through frustration.

Those abilities rely in part on executive functions: working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control. They help children make use of what they know, and they need practice in real situations.

That’s one reason outdoor play matters so much. Even on a regular school playground, children have space to run, climb, swing, build, and invent games. Their vestibular and proprioceptive systems process movement, balance, and body position while their brains plan actions and respond to what changes. A climbing route doesn’t come with an answer key. A game with friends rarely goes exactly as planned. Children have to pay attention, adapt, communicate, and try again.

They’re also using language and early math: counting turns, comparing distances, negotiating rules, and explaining their ideas. These skills are connected to something they’re actually doing.

Research links physical activity and motor skills with executive function and aspects of early learning. So when we take away outdoor play to fit in more worksheets, drills, and sitting still, we may be trading broad, repeated practice in the skills that support learning for more practice giving answers adults already know.

Preschoolers need time to use their brains and bodies together. So please, give them more time outside. They need it and they deserve it.

09/07/2026

A pillar in our Campbell CDC family passed peacefully yesterday.

Andrea Gelenter shared her vast knowledge of child development, best practice, and parent education with our Campbell CDC community for 17 years and the larger community since the late 80’s. Her commitment and advocacy of young children and their families as well as both early childhood educators and the field of education are a tremendous loss. Andrea shared a kind, dedicated, well researched, thoughtful presence with all who were lucky enough to know and partner with her. Nicknamed Andrewea, by the children, she found joy in the wonder and curiosity of children’s discoveries. She was a keen observer and helped so many parents and teachers understand the beneficial implications for development of their child’s PLAY. Mentoring and encouraging dozens of teachers at all stages of their professionalism was given freely. She was the go-to to convey professionalism and eloquence in messaging in handbooks, newsletter, and emails alike. If wordsmith was is in any dictionary, Andrea would be part of the definition. Her many years as a camp counselor on the East Coast afforded her and all of us with a song for everything.

She respected and included all and made space for both children and adults to show up authentically and feel safe to express themselves.

Andrea had a special way of setting up simple PLAY that invited children and adults to engage fully in experiences.

Andrea had a special connection with her three now adult children and shared joyful anecdotes with those she trusted. Stories highlighting her “sample of three” demonstrated her knowledge of and implementation of best practice parenting tools. Ted, Frank, and Carley were truly the great LOVES of her life.

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with Andrea and to call her my dear friend for 20+

She is already missed! 🩵💜

09/03/2026

Trust children and PLAY. Humans are hard wired to learn naturally through their own innate curiosity.

When building a house, the foundation isn’t the most exciting part.

You’re probably more interested in the kitchen: the cabinets, countertops, appliances, and all the details you can actually see. And the kitchen matters. It will be useful every single day.

But nobody would suggest installing it before the foundation is finished.

Without a stable foundation, the floors shift, the cabinets pull away from the walls, and the countertops crack. It might look impressive temporarily, but eventually, everything built on top becomes unstable.

Academic learning works the same way.

Reading, writing, and math are important. But they depend on developmental foundations that have to be built first.

Executive function allows children to focus, remember information, control impulses, adjust their thinking, and persist through challenges. These skills develop through play, problem-solving, decision-making, and real opportunities to navigate frustration.

Language and comprehension develop through conversation, storytelling, responsive relationships, and meaningful back-and-forth exchanges. Reciting the alphabet does not automatically mean a child has the language foundation needed to understand what they eventually read.

Motor development and sensory integration support coordination, body awareness, attention, and the physical skills needed for writing. Children build these systems through movement, climbing, carrying, manipulating materials, and exploring their environments.

Self-regulation develops through supportive relationships and manageable challenges. When adults expect sustained attention, compliance, and academic performance before those systems are ready, children do not suddenly mature faster. They become stressed, overwhelmed, dependent, or resistant.

Academics are important and so is the kitchen.

But if you rush to install either before the foundation is ready, don’t act surprised when cracks start appearing down the road. Because they can, and they very likely will.

08/29/2026

Absolutely! Trust in PLAY!

I used to think the more I knew about literacy, the more I should be doing with children.

I could hear a rhyme and turn it into a phonological awareness moment. See a child making marks and model some writing. Notice letters in their play and start talking about sounds.

I thought that was what it meant to be intentional.

But the more I learned about how literacy actually develops, the more comfortable I became with noticing something without immediately doing something about it.

Because I could see more.

I could recognize the oral language, storytelling, meaning-making, phonological awareness, print knowledge, and all the other pieces developing long before they looked like a traditional literacy lesson.

And I could make a more informed decision about whether that child actually needed something from me right then.

Sometimes they do.

Sometimes they don't.

Knowing more didn't make me teach more.

It made me more thoughtful about when I taught.