3+ Hours of Nap Time is Ridiculous!

       Nap time is increasingly being questioned by educators, parents, and doctors; the question is though, how long should children be allowed to nap? According to the research that I've done most educational institution's don't require a nap time, but suggests it. It is merely so that parents don't feel as though we are forcing their children to sleep; that they have a choice. But it has been proven through numerous studies that sleep helps children to retain the information that they've learned. When tested with a focus group, the children who were allowed to nap were able to retain more information and correctly relay it back to the instructor as opposed to those to didn't take a nap. Doctors have long established that a good nights rest is the key to success in the morning, suggesting that we all receive adequate sleep. For toddlers it is important for them to get between 10-12 hours sleep to be fully comprehensible and engaged. While most parent know that it is highly unlikely that children will adhere to such a schedule, we must try to promote their well being and overall success academically.
       In the U.S Virgin Islands many daycare facilities practice nap time, usually just after lunch. But does nap time really need to take three out of seven hours that children are in school? Is it adequate to have nap times that exceed two and a half hours? In my experience I've witnessed through previous employments at three different daycare/preschool centers, nap time is three (3) hours or more depending on the character of students on that given day. Children are basically allowed to sleep after lunch until it is near for students to be picked up by their parents. In addition to the multiple snack/water breaks children are only allotted maybe three hours of instruction; is that what we are paying for? How can we honestly expect our children to be progressive and successful academically if we aren't facilitating the necessities needed for them to succeed in those (kindergarten/elementary) environments. Because of these 'bad habits' that children develop, within their early years of learning, teachers face dealing with challenging behaviors from children who'd like to learn, but aren't for they are to busy disrupting a class full of students who are eager to learn.
While nap time is necessary I do believe that the nap time 'practices' on St. Thomas are, as we would say 'an over'. I don't think that it benefits anyone other than the employees, which makes the parents the benefactors. While I do think that the parents are partly benefactors within any private educational institution, their purpose is not to benefit or convenience the professionals but to benefit their children and convenience themselves. I would be glad to share the names of the places that I know of that practice such outrageous nap times, but for personal reasons I won't post them here. Please email me and I'll be happy to oblige.