Curriculum

Reggio Emilia Approach

Reggio Emilia Approach

The Reggio Emilia Approach is an inspiring approach to early childhood education and was developed in Italy during WWII.

It is an innovative, progressive and emergent curriculum.

What is Emergent Curriculum?

• An emergent curriculum is one that builds upon the interests of children.
• Topics for study are captured from the talk of children, through community or family events, as well as the known interests of the children (puddles, shadow, dinosaurs, etc.).
• Team planning is an essential component of the emergent curriculum. Teachers (lead and co) work together to formulate the possible directions of a project, the materials needed, and possible parent and/or community support and involvement.

Reggio Emilia approach values each child as strong, capable and resilient; rich with wonder and knowledge. Every child brings with them deep curiosity and potential and this innate curiosity drives their interest to understand their world and their place within it. Children learn best through interactions with their physical and social environment. This philosophy keeps the focus on the environment and teaches that children learn best through “hands on” experiences as well as through play while encouraging free choice and child-initiated exploration. The teachers continually adapt and expand the curriculum to respond to the individual needs and interests of the students.

The Reggio Emilia approach which is based upon the following set of principles:

1. Children must have some control over the direction of their learning
2. Children must be able to learn through experiences of touching, moving, listening, seeing, and hearing
3. Children have a relationship with other children and with material items in the world that they must be allowed to explore
4. Children must have endless ways and opportunities to express themselves

Through this curriculum, St. John’s CCDC will provide a wide variety of learning experiences for children which will enrich their social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and physical development in a warm Christian atmosphere. Our programs focus on developing the “whole child”. Each child is unique and our programs are designed to meet the varied interests and developmental needs.

Classroom centers are arranged with guidelines of the Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) to provide children with an excellent means to create, explore, discover and learn about the world around them in their own special way.

Our curriculum includes, but is not limited to the following: