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PHILOSOPHY
Our Educational Philosophy is inspired by Reggio Emilia
THE BIRTH OF REGGIO
The Reggio approach had its beginnings in 1945 in the municipal infant-toddler centers and preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. Loris Malaguzzi, an innovator in education, developed an educational philosophy based on relationships between children, parents, and teachers. He emphasized both children and teachers as co-learners exploring and living together, using tools of listening, observing, and flexibility to create the learning space.
REGGIO CURRICULUM
Rather than following a standard curriculum model with pre-determined units of study, the Reggio Curriculum has an underlying structure based on guided learning and collaboration. This approach engages the interests and skills of each individual child, interweaving teachings on a broad range of disciplines through real world learning. Within each Reggio community, short and long-term projects emerge that highlight children’s learning processes.
How Children Learn Throughout the Day
Blocks Center: size & shape differentiation, spatial relationships, & structural balance
Science Area: cause & effect, measurement. & exploration
Library: reading readiness, communication & language skills, memory skills, & proper book handling
Snack & Lunch: etiquette & manners, social interaction, & self-help skills
Writing / Art Center: visual perception, creativity, colors, & fine motor skills
Constructing and Gathering Knowledge:Children will Explore and ask questions to seek meaningful information about a growing range of topics, ideas, and tasks.
Social Emotional Development:
Children have multiple and varied opportunities to engage with teachers and peers that help facilitate their social competence by:
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Recognizing and naming their own and other feelings.
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Learning skills to regulate their emotions, behaviors, and attention.
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Developing a positive attitude toward learning (mastery, curiosity, etc).
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Allowing them to interact positively, cooperatively, and to resolve conflicts.
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Enhancing self-esteem, self-sufficiency, and feelings of self-worth.
Physical Development:
Children are offered an environment that allows for free movement and mastery of their bodies through self-initiation
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Providing opportunities to practice coordination, balance, and motor planning.
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Providing opportunities to develop fine motor skills by utilizing age appropriate manipulatives.
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Allowing opportunities to assess their own risk.
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Providing opportunities to develop gross motor skill by large motor experiences.
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Enhancing sensory-motor integration.
Language Development:
Children are provided with opportunities for language acquisition and written and oral communication:
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Offering experiences that hold deep meaning and interest to the children resulting in conversations and discussions with their peers and teachers.
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Providing opportunities to respond to questions and conversations,
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Providing opportunities to communicate their needs and experiences
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Providing opportunities to describe things and events
Literacy:
Children are offered multiple and varied opportunities to experience written language though:
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Access to age appropriate books.
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Daily storytelling and read alouds.
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Familiarity and recognition of print; written names throughout the classroom.
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Modeling functional use of written language.
Children are offered multiple and varied opportunities to experience to write by:
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Providing various types of writing materials throughout the classroom.
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Encouraging writing at all developmental levels including scribbling, markings and developmental spelling.
Cognitive: Mathematics
Children are offered multiple and varied opportunities to encourage integration of math concepts by:
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Offering materials to organize and sort based on attributes.
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Offering materials that allow for shape recognition.
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Offering materials that help them understand concepts of measurement by standard and nonstandard units of measurement.
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Offering content that allows for learning passage of time.
Cognitive: Science
Children are offered multiple and varied opportunities to question, inquire, discover, document, and reason by
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Offering materials that encourage experimentation.
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Offering materials that aid in observation.
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Providing opportunity to discuss scientific concepts in their everyday conversation.
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Providing copious time outside with the natural elements.
Creative Expression:
Children are offered multiple and varied opportunities to gain appreciation for the Arts by:
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Providing age appropriate materials that are available to manipulate and explore.
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Materials offer open-ended experiences to express themselves through music, drama, dance, and art.
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Encouraging the process versus the product