Grant: Operating Grant: Population Health Intervention Research

In the preschool years, play builds a strong foundation for lifelong learning and healthy development. It contributes to the conceptual foundations of literacy, mathematics and scientific thinking, as well as building social competence and confidence, emotional resilience and self-control, and physical strength and coordination. The social and physical environments of early childhood have changed profoundly in the last 50 years, as a result of urbanization, changing family demographics and technology. Play spaces and play experiences are increasingly structured, organized and institutionalized. Strathcona County Recreation, Parks and Culture (RPC) has recognized the importance of encouraging free play amongst children and has invested $350,000 into the development of LovetoPlay: a unique, leading edge, and innovative play-based preschool space and program. LovetoPlay aims to enhance preschool children's developmental experiences by focusing on open-ended, play-based learning in a purposively designed environment. It will begin in January 2014. This presents a time-sensitive opportunity to evaluate the impact of this investment. We will evaluate LovetoPlay by looking at how play is fostered in the environment, while exploring parental, instructors' and children's perspectives, in comparison to 2 preschool spaces of similar size and also operated by RPC. Part 1 will involve before and after interviews with parents and instructors at each preschool site. Part 2 will assess the physical features in each of the preschool spaces. In Part 3 the nature of children's play behaviours will be observed multiple times in each space. Part 4 will involve working directly with the children to have them share their stories, take pictures, and map and tour adults around the preschool spaces. This research will contribute to our understanding of the design and program features that facilitate play and promote health in institutionalized program settings for young children.