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Green Hills: Stoneriver’s Most Expensive Babysitting Service?

By Lashanda Richards

Light spills in through a large window and pools on two students gleefully engaged in playing with blocks. To some residents, the Green Hills Early Childhood Center, which is perched atop an idyllic hillside overlooking downtown, represents the pinnacle of early education in Stoneriver City. During its first 4 years in operation, Green Hills has developed a reputation for cultivating an inclusive atmosphere by admitting students from each of Stoneriver’s economically-diverse neighborhoods.

But to those in the know, appearances can be deceiving. “Green Hills doesn’t teach children anything,” says Archie Burwell, whose daughter Christina spent 2 years at the center. “My daughter was woefully unprepared for kindergarten. She was way behind her fellow classmates in both reading and arithmetic to the point where her peers took notice.”

Part of the problem appears to be Green Hills’ approach to structuring the time of enrolled children—even half-day students can spend up to 2 hours engaged in free play activities.

Dr. Samuel Holzman, an expert in early childhood development at West Alma University, thinks so much unstructured time may be an issue. “Schools are more competitive today than they have ever been in the past. Families want their children to be prepared to compete for spots in the most selective schools, and that starts with kindergarten. Pre-K programs need to reassure families that they are providing their children with enough academic learning experiences to prepare students for success as they transition to elementary school.”

Michaela Campbell, who teaches 4- and 5-year-olds at Green Hills disagrees with the criticism. “Play is an important part of how children learn social and problem solving skills. Too much structured time may prevent children from exploring their interests and engaging in experimentation that stimulates cognition. And the materials and environment here are very intentionally designed to support children’s development in all areas. They are learning all the time.”

But Dr. Holzman feels Green Hills’s defense of their programs overstates the value of free play. “Research clearly shows that the benefit of unstructured free play is only temporary. Early education centers such as Green Hills must clearly demonstrate the ability of children to translate what they have learned to academic success, otherwise the advantages of Pre-K programs will wear off by the time the child has reached third grade. For many families, the monetary investment in Pre-K is too large for benefits that may last only a few years.”

For the Burwell family, there is not much of a tradeoff—they decided to place their son Sam in an early childhood program that is less prestigious, but also less expensive. “Sam responded really well to the new early childhood program. He’s in kindergarten this year and is way ahead of where his sister was after attending Green Hills. We feel like he’s gotten a good foundational education, rather than attending the city’s most expensive babysitting service for the past few years.”