MIND
From the moment your child is born, you are amazed at everything your child is absorbing. Wide eyed, curious, and exploring the world around them while laughing and crying through it all. You too are learning, inquiring, and experimenting and experiencing all kinds of emotions. Your child's early years and your early years with your child are a powerful time of growth and development for both of you! In our early childhood programs, we enrich your child's learning with individualized attention, hands-on fun, and creative experiences that build important foundational skills that prepare your child for success in school and in life. We highlight Jewish values, holidays, and our Hebrew teachers from Israel provide an immersive Hebrew language experience! You become part of a supportive community of moms and dads embracing their special and powerful role as parents!
BODY
You've been blessed with a precious child. You want your child to be safely cared for and to grow healthy and strong. You want your child to thrive in a space that will facilitate exceptional growth and development. You want your child to receive individualized attention and care. In our early childhood programs, we have a space that is carefully and thoughtfully designed to match your child's age and stage. You can feel confident that your child is enjoying every minute in our wonderful environment with skilled, caring, and devoted teachers. You can relax, as you get work done, recharge, and go about your day.
HEART
You love your child. Deeply. You hope for your child to be in an environment that is loving and supportive. You want your child to develop inner wealth and confidence. You want to see your child develop resilience, perseverance, and compassion to make the world a better place. In our early childhood programs, we use the Nurtured Heart Approach™ to nurture your child with warmth and focus. You will be astonished at your child's ability to articulate their own greatness and see the greatness in others. And you will be impressed by your own wisdom in engaging with your child with heart and skill!
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Gan Preschool uses the Reggio Emilia-inspired approach. The Reggio Emilia Philosophy is an innovative and inspiring approach to early childhood education, which values the child as strong, capable, and resilient; rich with wonder and knowledge. The program emphasizes respect, responsibility, and community involvement. Children are allowed to explore and discover in a supportive and rich environment, where the curriculum is created around the children’s interests. The three core principles of the Reggio Emilia philosophy involve the child, the environment, and the teacher.
The Child
The Reggio Emila philosophy values the child as central to their own learning, not simply an empty vessel waiting to be filled with knowledge. Children are able to pursue their own interests and revisit and build upon ideas at their own pace.
"The child is made of one hundred. The child has a hundred languages, a hundred hands, a hundred thoughts, a hundred ways of thinking, of playing, of speaking." Loris Malaguzzi, Founder of the Reggio Emilia Approach
The ‘100 languages of children’ recognizes that children have multiple ways of thinking, playing, exploring, speaking, and doing. The Reggio Emilia approach encourages children to use every tool they have to express themselves.
The Environment
A Reggio-inspired environment, often referred to as ‘the third teacher’, is one that is open and free-flowing. It enables uninterrupted exploration, play, and learning. Outdoor spaces are valued just as highly as formal classrooms, and the design of the space should allow children to move freely between the two. In addition, it is important that children have free access to stimulating resources, as they cannot be the owner of their learning journey without this.
The Teacher
Teachers are encouraged to observe the children as they experiment in their own way, make mistakes and find new solutions. The role of the teacher is to gently move students towards areas of interest to them, and this can only be done through careful observation carried out over time.
The Benefits Of The Reggio Emilia Approach
1. Encouragement
Children in Reggio settings are active constructors of knowledge, who are encouraged to be ‘researchers’. Most of the educational experiences within Reggio take the form of projects, where children have opportunities to actively participate, explore and question things. There is also a very strong emphasis on the social development of children as part of the community and their relationships with other children, their families, and teachers.
2. Explorative
The Reggio approach starts from the premise that children use many different ways to express their creativity, understanding, and thoughts (the 100 languages). This perspective has been endorsed by many artists, who state that these different ways of thinking, exploring, and learning are expressed through drawing, sculpting, music, dance and movement, painting, and drama.
3. Problem-solving techniques
Children are given learning projects that provide extensive research opportunities, including real-life problem-solving among peers, and opportunities for creative thinking and exploration. The children are placed in small group settings with projects that they work on with their teacher observing. The children are allowed to question the topic of interest. Teachers introduce materials, questions, and opportunities that provoke children to further explain the topic.