Reggio Emilia Approach and Curriculum

The internationally-known Reggio Emilia approach, upon which the SJCC Mercer Island and Seattle Early Childhood Education programs are based, supports the idea that children are naturally inquisitive and embrace a variety of learning styles and interests.

We recognize the potential of each child, the vital contributions families make to the school community, and the value of relationships as the foundation of our work. We believe children are the protagonists of their learning and are competent and capable learners. We believe children are deeply invested in their learning and are naturally inquisitive thinkers, researchers and problem solvers. Our emergent curriculum is based on supporting children's inquiry by offering opportunities for large and small group exploration. Our teachers create a forum for children to share their theories, knowledge and questions.

Parents are invited to be a part of this study, keeping the work of the classroom seamless with the children's home lives. Teachers also quickly bring in relevant resources (books, art supplies, etc.) to help support inquiry.

When children, teachers and families engage in this type of learning journey, it is easy to feel how this excitement inspires children, parents and teachers in our classrooms. Our teachers make a choice to celebrate the children's discoveries and support their innate curiosities.

As children build their own world within our school, teachers observe and formulate projects to provoke their students' curiosity and interests. If the children in a class like to build with wooden blocks, teachers may introduce a wider selection of building materials for the children to explore: cardboard, styrofoam, sand, ice, paper maché. When children are presented with new possibilities, the number of new imaginative projects they can create is infinite.

From one project to another, teachers and children engage in exploration side by side in long-term investigations. Classrooms and playgrounds are filled with tactile materials that invite hands-on exploration and play. Read about one of our most-anticipated events of the year, our May 2010 Mercer Island Truck Day >>

As part of their own exploration, teachers document the learning in their classroom so they may develop a richer curriculum and may share daily experiences with parents.

Learn more about the Reggio Emilia approach at:
Reggio Emilia: An Educational Project (in Italian and English)
North American Reggio Emilia Alliance

Please also feel free to contact ECS Director-Mercer Island Helene Azose at HeleneA@sjcc.org or 206-388-1994 or ECS Director-Seattle Eli Warshal at EliW@sjcc.org or 206-526-8073.