Reggio Emilia is a city in northern Italy. Post WWII, families and the community of Reggio emerged from the destruction of war to reimagine a healthy community rooted in education. They imagined a school grounded in community support, which challenged existing ideas of education and supported critical thinking.

Fundamental pillars of the Reggio approach that we incorporate, believe in, and adhere to at Palma Ceia Presbyterian Preschool include:

The Competence of the Child - We assume competence as the children are active participants in their classroom and learning. Their creativity, confidence, intelligence and energy are celebrated, supported and scaffolded.

The Environment as the Third Teacher - Classrooms, the atelier, and the outside areas are designed to invite play and exploration. We have designed beautiful learning environments marked by the distinctive use of light, intentional and homelike furnishings, materials displayed for child usage, natural and organic toys, loose parts, light tables and art materials of all kinds. Children are encouraged to move throughout the space, exploring and constructing.

The Hundred Languages of Children - One of the formative documents of the Reggio movement is the poem, The Hundred Languages of Children, by Loris Malaguzzi. Simply, the poem makes a case for understanding the many modalities of children’s learning and expression. Words provide an essential way to understand the world, but expression takes many modes.

The Role of the Teacher - Teachers take on the disposition of researchers and co-learners with children. Teachers scaffold children’s knowledge by noting their current level of knowledge and help them to reach new heights by introducing new skills, adding classroom resources which they can utilize, facilitating social learning, and arranging new challenges. Teachers plan learning invitations and provocations using their expertise, creating opportunities for children to explore different concepts, materials, and ideas. Thus, the teacher bridges the child’s current understanding, available knowledge, and demonstrated skills with new learning.

Documentation - Documentation is a research model, which serves to provide a fuller and more complete picture of learning, unlike a test. Teachers seek to make learning visible by documenting and displaying all phases of children’s learning. Documentation serves as a way for families to be involved in children’s learning, as well as allowing teachers and children to reflect and build on learning and growth.

Family Involvement - Family involvement is critical to the successful support of children in school. Families are experts in their own areas, and a school’s partnership with a child’s family expands the possibilities for learning. Families are their children’s first and lifelong teachers.

Emergent Curriculum - Emergent curriculum stems from the observed interests and curiosities of the children, as well as from the ideas of their teachers through their day to day experiences with the children. Children’s learning is most vigorous when it is play-based, of interest to them, and when their teacher infuses academic content into the projects and explorations of the children.