“In my experience in public education specifically, there is an obvious, gaping hole in teacher and parent knowledge of appropriate play in early childhood development. I certainly would use this tool personally, as well as recommend it to other coworkers. Not only does it allow for a cohesive baseline for understanding all the different ways play can present itself, but it also provides a clear, precise explanation of these different types of play in a way that all teachers and parents can understand. “

— Kindergarten Teacher

“This tool itself will be highly beneficial for scholars and researchers. In particular, to generate and accumulate evidence on the importance of play, it is critical that we have common languages/terms so that the evidence will have comparability (e.g., how different categories of play influence different domains of development to what degree, etc.) and replicability (e.g., does the same category of play affect the same domain of development across contexts?”

— UNICEF ECD Officer

”It is so helpful to be able to understand that play doesn't mean something frivolous or 'just for fun'. When I see play presented like this, I see how play connects to learning and I understand that there are so many ways I can bring play into my little one's life. I often feel like I have to start a new reading program or think about STEM opportunities, but seeing this I better understand that I can (and should!) nurture these skills through play at home. This clear presentation of all these different meanings of play also makes me feel more accepting of play at my child's preschool. “

— Mother of a 4-year-old child

“ (1) Thank you for coming and educating our class. I really enjoyed how easy the rubric was when using it to observe different classroom scenarios· (2) It made it easier to understand the different types of play and the adult roles. (3) I really enjoyed learning about the rubric. When doing the assignment, I found the rubric to be very helpful and easy to use. (4) As someone who works in a child care center, I can see this being very helpful to teachers. (5) I thought everything was explained very well. It was easy to follow and use for the assignment. (6) She is very passionate about her work, and it was appreciated!”

— Various student responses were submitted after a guest lecture about the ERPEC at SUNY Plattsburgh