Originally Posted by Tigerlilly:
I won't touch youtube anyways. Have you seen some of the creepy stuff on there? But I was wanting to incorporate music/dance time. Wonder if that is considered screen time since the music comes from the TV.
I have Youtube in restricted mode. It really helps with the creepy stuff, but sometimes it blocks things that I don't see as a problem.
Originally Posted by Hunni Bee:
These arent state regs, but our center regs...we aren't allowed any screen time for kids 3 and under, and 3 hours or less per week for older kids. My kids watch a 10 minute episode of something every afternoon, and maybe a 3 minute long video that's related to our topic for thr week...
I guess I just don't understand the problem? Do the kids ask for the tv or something?
I choose to use common core aligned software in my pre-K program. I also use the TV/Youtube with educational playlists, primarily for my daughter's homeschooling, but my playlists begin with pre-k appropriate material.
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
I don't see an issue with this either.
I'm a screen free program so its not an issue here
All the reasons you listed as why you need the TV have alternate answers besides TV so I don't see this as that big of a deal.
There isn't an alternative to my using playlists in my daughter's homeschooling. The point of homeschooling is that parents decide what works best for their child's needs/learning style etc. And the time of day I run them is simply what works best for her and the group. It's a personal, day to day judgement.
I am not sure what a great alternative would be for using screen time to help with separation anxiety/emotional kids. It has really helped me get over some humps with kids like that. I guess that I could probably come up with some other ideas, or you all could, but...why? Weighing it out, why is a little Dora or Elmo such a bad thing for some of these kids who are having struggles. I wean them off it as soon as I can, just as I would wean them off a bottle or anything else.
Personally, I love TV but I do not believe it belongs in early childhood at all. Everything the TV "can" be used for also has alternate options.
I don't really love the TV. I probably average about one hour a year of television programming (we love movies though). We have Roku, but haven't had cable/satelite/streaming service for about ten years, and before that it was just a very basic service--mainly the networks. My issues with the rule aren't due to insensitivity to screen time exposure.
As for school becoming tech-y as someone else mentioned... I agree but these kids get plenty of screen time on their "not at daycare" time so it's not like we are depriving them of learning electronics.
Also, I believe the basics (taking turns, good manners, waiting your turn, raising your hand, being a good friend, etc....) are ALL foundational and important skills to have BEFORE entering public school...if you know pro-social skills, the tech part will be super easy in school. 
I'm not using technology in order to teach technology. I use the software in pre-k because it's common core aligned and it works well. It's all software that I am familiar with from DD's homeschool curriculum and own anyway. Using it for 4 yo pre-k is a personal choice but also a solid choice. However, I am also happy that my pre-k crowd learn to use my adaptive computer mouse.
HOWEVER, the good news is that after I replied to the email from the state (pretty much copied and pasted my original post from here), I got a reply saying that they are going to add the words "primary activity" to the new rule. So if I have an activity that is geared to older child, while providing other activities for younger children, I am off the hook if they choose to watch over the older kids' shoulders. Or if I am holding an infant, the holding is considered the "primary activity" even if they are in line of sight of movie time. Or if there are toys provided for a toddler (and there always are) then the toys are the primary activity even if they move where they can see a play list.
I am not going to count hours. I only use it "as needed" so I'm going to choose to not stress about it. It seems impossible to slice and dice all the particulars of each situation.
My 3 yo SPED girl with emotional problems? Well, I guess that's a "special occasion" when she's triggered but I am not able to give her one-on-one. Sometimes Dora really does come to the rescue.