Preschool and Kindergarten
- “Emergent Curriculum” ensures that projects remain meaningful and interesting as they emerge from children’s ideas and questions
- Specialty classrooms create a unique learning environment, where children can move throughout the school to take advantage of different spaces that emphasize language, drama, music, construction, art, and other cultures
- Project work provides children with ample opportunity for discussion, decision making, choices, cooperation, initiative, negotiation, compromise, and evaluation of the outcomes of their own work and investigation
- Children can explore their world at their own pace- projects can take hours to days to weeks to complete, depending on where the children’s ideas and questions lead them
- Reggio Emilia approach offers a “negotiated curriculum,” where children, teachers, and parents continually work together to forge the path of children’s knowledge, the subject matter that will be covered in the classroom, and the means by which knowledge will be displayed through documentation
- Teachers create lesson plans based on interests of the children that incorporate emergent literacy, music, art, dramatic play, sensory, motor development, science, nature, and math experiences into the classroom on a weekly basis
- Foreign language is introduced to students at different times throughout the year
- Lofts in each classroom provide opportunities for imaginary adventures, small group activities, or quiet reading spaces
- Access to a Data Center for small group activities on the computer, in addition to computers being stationed in each classroom for early exposure to technology
- Programs such as the “Letter People” ensure exposure to age-appropriate language and math concepts, so that children are being properly prepared for their school age years
- Children’s work is documented through the use of Portfolios for every child, curriculum journals, classroom voicemail snapshots, project boards, and more
- Frequent field trips allow students to extend their learning into the community, and collect the necessary field data that will bring their projects to life
“Friends
shared their experiences, and upon my visit I knew it was an environment
for my 3 year old. The staff have gone beyond expectations to assist in
our child’s transition. He even wants to go to school on weekends! -Theresa,
Preschool Parent