Mothering › Forums › Education › Learning at School › Other (Reggio Emilia, Sudbury, Democratic) › Reggio Emilia Approach in your area?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Reggio Emilia Approach in your area?  

post #1 of 88
3/26/05 at 10:54pm
Thread Starter 
Hi All!
I am looking for schools (pre-k thru elementary) in any area that are Reggio-inspired or at least follow an "emergent curriculum" philosophy.
Know of any??
post #2 of 88
3/30/05 at 1:36pm

Reggio Emilia school in Miami

My kids are in a great Reggio Emilia-inspired school in South Miami, Florida called L'Atelier. School includes programs for kids age 3 months to 5 years. The teachers are very conscious of remaining true to the Reggio philosophy and my kids absolutely love it!
post #3 of 88
3/31/05 at 5:30pm
My dd attends a Reggio Emilia preschool (3's and 4's) here in Ingham County, MI. (It's supported by our county's intermediate school district, so only residents of our county can attend.) We really love it, especially as a homeschooling family, since they don't push anything on the kids or have cookie-cutter crafts, etc. There are several homeschooling families involved in this preschool, in fact. We don't have a website (much to my dh's dismay,) or I'd link to it for you. Curious -- you said you are interested in any area of the country. Are you doing some kind of research? Just wonderin'!
post #4 of 88
4/4/05 at 12:57am
What exactly is this? :
post #5 of 88
4/4/05 at 10:17am
tofumama, I don't have personal experience w/ this approach but here are some links:

http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/poptopics/reggio.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggio_Emilia_approach
post #6 of 88
4/4/05 at 10:56am
We have a wonderful Reggion-based preschool in our area, which is amazing because we live in a tiny village in rural Northern New Mexico! And it's the only daycare/preschool other than headstart. Unfortunately their wonderful philosophy of child-led learning does not extend to the public schools.
post #7 of 88
4/4/05 at 11:00am
I am a Reggio inspired teacher....I am not teaching right now but I did teach at Boulder Journey School, a school owned and directed by a founding memeber of NAREA. (North American Reggio Alliance)
Quote:
My kids are in a great Reggio Emilia-inspired school in South Miami, Florida called L'Atelier.
ahhh...I have see pics of this school and some teachers have come to BJS too. Looks wonderful!

Reggio was developed for early childhood but I have heard of one school in DC that tried using it...My understanding is that the Italians (Amilia Gambeti, Carlina Rinaldi) from Reggio Children won't consult with older schools...they think using in older grades is just crazy!


this is a page of Reggio links!

http://www.latelier.org/usefullinks/
post #8 of 88
4/4/05 at 11:00am
we have one in the whole city and it is a disaster.........kids running around. no real schedule..........
post #9 of 88
4/4/05 at 12:03pm
Quote:
we have one in the whole city and it is a disaster.........kids running around. no real schedule..........
This sounds like they don't understand what they are doing....which is really common when people read about Reggio and don't consult with the Italians! Reggio is hard on the teacher...it is a lot of work. This also happens when people don't understand NAEYC develpmentaly appropriate practice guidelines....
post #10 of 88
4/7/05 at 11:56am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by luv my 2 sweeties
My dd attends a Reggio Emilia preschool (3's and 4's) here in Ingham County, MI. (It's supported by our county's intermediate school district, so only residents of our county can attend.) We really love it, especially as a homeschooling family, since they don't push anything on the kids or have cookie-cutter crafts, etc. There are several homeschooling families involved in this preschool, in fact. We don't have a website (much to my dh's dismay,) or I'd link to it for you. Curious -- you said you are interested in any area of the country. Are you doing some kind of research? Just wonderin'!
Research yes, but just for myself! I was actually hoping for website links (should've been more specific) as I am in the process of getting my own website up for my home-based Reggio-inspired program I'm starting this fall. Just looking for ideas and such!
post #11 of 88
4/7/05 at 12:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mamma2jands
My kids are in a great Reggio Emilia-inspired school in South Miami, Florida called L'Atelier. School includes programs for kids age 3 months to 5 years. The teachers are very conscious of remaining true to the Reggio philosophy and my kids absolutely love it!
This place looks great. Thanks for letting me know about it!
post #12 of 88
4/7/05 at 12:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jannan
we have one in the whole city and it is a disaster.........kids running around. no real schedule..........
Oh No! It's sad to hear things are not going well there. I would hate for people to have a negative image in their minds when they hear the words "Reggio Approach".
Sounds like that school needs some serious help!
post #13 of 88
4/7/05 at 1:32pm
Quote:
This sounds like they don't understand what they are doing....which is really common when people read about Reggio and don't consult with the Italians! Reggio is hard on the teacher...it is a lot of work. This
Yes! I know our teacher has regular reviewers who come to the school and nit-pick every little detail of the environment, her documentation of goings-on (a big Reggio thing), etc. Not in a mean way, but they really care about having it done right. She welcomes this scrutiny, even though it can be tough.
post #14 of 88
4/7/05 at 2:43pm
My DD attends a Reggio preschool that we simply adore. Spring Hollow School is a private preschool directed by a holder of a Doctorate in Early Childhood Education. This is her personal "calling in life" and she adores what she does and the environment of discovery she has created. One of the best parts of the school, IMO, is the dedication to "mindful building of community" to ourselves and our environment.

jannan, I'm sorry that you seem to have been turned off by a bad apple. The children at DD's school absolutely thrive.
post #15 of 88
4/8/05 at 7:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jannan
we have one in the whole city and it is a disaster.........kids running around. no real schedule..........
Could you maybe pm me and tell me which school this is? I am looking for preschool for the fall for my dd, and dunno, sometimes what's a disaster for some is just right for others...
post #16 of 88
4/8/05 at 9:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkHorseMama
My DD attends a Reggio preschool that we simply adore. Spring Hollow School is a private preschool directed by a holder of a Doctorate in Early Childhood Education. This is her personal "calling in life" and she adores what she does and the environment of discovery she has created. One of the best parts of the school, IMO, is the dedication to "mindful building of community" to ourselves and our environment.
I just took a look at your school's website and noted with interest how familiar it looked. Of course the layout and items in the school are completely different from my dd's preschool, but the "feel" is the same. One item that is the same is the bunk bed. Ours was made by one of the dads in the school to be an exact replica of a doll house bunk bed they have. This was the idea of the children of course. The sense of community around the school is amazing. I don't know that it happens at every R. E. school, but I agree with you that it's one of the best things about it.

dd wants to add some smilies:


Now ds:
: : :
post #17 of 88
4/8/05 at 9:16pm
I'm looking into a reggio inspired preschool. It seems so great onmost levels, butthey do use timeouts, which I'm not into.

do the reggio schools y'all are in/into use time outs? Is it a departure from the regiio thing, or is it a commn aspect of it?
post #18 of 88
4/8/05 at 10:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sadie_sabot
I'm looking into a reggio inspired preschool. It seems so great onmost levels, butthey do use timeouts, which I'm not into.

do the reggio schools y'all are in/into use time outs? Is it a departure from the regiio thing, or is it a commn aspect of it?
Our school does not use time outs. I don't know whether or not there is an official Reggio possition on this or not. I really like the way our school handles discipline with the children. It focuses on respect for others and/or safety as the reasons for standards of behavior. They try to sow the seeds of internal discipline. There has never been a huge problem (eg. a child who continually "runs wild" and is destructive) in the nearly 2 years we've been there. I assume the teachers would work with the parents if there were. That's another thing I like about our school -- all the kids (and parents) are really nice. DD hasn't brought home any of the common negative stuff you hear about.
post #19 of 88
4/8/05 at 10:39pm
Quote:
do the reggio schools y'all are in/into use time outs? Is it a departure from the regiio thing, or is it a commn aspect of it?
No way!!! This would be in direct oposition of the strongly held image of the child and the idea of children's rights!!!!

It drives me crazy when schools "pick and choose" what they want from Reggio but still call themsleves Reggio inspired..ahhhhggg...

Quote:
Research yes, but just for myself! I was actually hoping for website links (should've been more specific) as I am in the process of getting my own website up for my home-based Reggio-inspired program I'm starting this fall. Just looking for ideas and such!
How great! I have thought about it too but I don't think I could ever afford to pay another teacher to teach with me and with out another person, small-group long-term projects would be nearly immposible. It is hard enough with two of us in the classroom, I can't imagine trying to do it alone!!

When did you begin teaching Reggio? I'm sure you already know this but many Reggio schools have conferences each year where teachers come to learn more about Reggio and how to do it well. If you get on the NAREA web site, there should be a list of them, where, when and cost...and which ones the Italians are going to be at!!! Plus...lots of schools do "study tours" where you can come and spend a day or two walking around the school, seeing the teacher/child interaction, see the materials used and (the best part!) look at all the documentation! You could get lots of ideas in just one day doing a study tour for sure!

Good luck in your new program!
post #20 of 88
4/8/05 at 10:45pm
well, I'm gonna approach the director of this center about the timeouts then...because except for that, i loved the preschool...
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
This thread is locked  
Mothering › Forums › Education › Learning at School › Other (Reggio Emilia, Sudbury, Democratic) › Reggio Emilia Approach in your area?