Early Childhood Program: Kindergarten 1 & 2
In Kindergarten, we believe learning through playful inquiry is the foundation for intellectual, physical, and social and emotional growth. Learning should come naturally through curiosity and exploration.
The classroom environment is designed for children to learn through play because research shows that playing is the way in which children engage their minds, organize their thoughts and store information using all their senses. Children are given a wide range of experiences, opportunities, resources and contexts to provoke, stimulate and support their innate intellectual dispositions—their natural inclinations.
The program is inspired by the Project Approach and the schools in Reggio Emilia, where children and adults reflect regularly on their playful inquiry as a way to deepen everyone’s understanding, and where children are seen as competent and able to construct and engage in their own learning with teachers as collaborators and guides. We foster a culture of inquiry by finding out what is already known and wondering together to create a community of shared meanings. Some projects we have pursued are: construction, transportation, clocks, maps and teeth. Children learn how to think deeply, to ask questions and to listen to ideas. They may go on field trips, invite expert visitors, construct models, and conduct surveys to support their learning. Our K1 reggio-inspired program is exempt from Ofsted's Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Learning and Development Requirements.