Lee Academy’s Head of Kindergarten Speaks at Florida Association for the Education of Young Children (FLAEYC) Conference

Lee Academy’s Head of Kindergarten, Erica Brundidge, spoke at October’s annual conference of the Florida Association for the Education of Young Children (FLAEYC) in Orlando. Her session’s topic was “Bringing Play Back to Kindergarten in a Data Driven Climate.” Erica explained that in today’s increasingly data-driven educational landscape, the role of play in early childhood education has often been overshadowed by standardized assessments and performance metrics. This session aimed to address the tension between academic rigor and the importance of play in kindergarten classrooms. As data becomes a central tool in tracking student achievement, there is growing concern that play-based learning—an essential element of early childhood development—is being diminished or even eliminated in favor of more structured, test-oriented approaches. Her session explored the balance between using data effectively to support learning while ensuring that the critical developmental benefits of play are not lost.