A school needs to be a place for all children, not based on the idea that they’re all the same, but that they’re all different.

- Loris Malaguzzi, Founder of the Reggio Emilia approach

The History

The Reggio Emilia approach began in the 1940s when a community located in the town of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy, along with schoolteacher Loris Malaguzzi, began building a preschool for their children. Following the destruction of their area during World War II, the community came together to build their schools with the desire to raise a new generation of citizens committed to justice and equality. And it was a true community effort. A local farmer donated land for the structure, and townspeople – men and women – donated their time and labor to build the school using materials from the ruins of their village. This idea of coming together as a community for the sake of the children is at the very core of the Reggio Emilia approach today.

… these same people, without a  penny to their names, with no technical offices, building permits, site directors, inspectors from the Ministry of Education or the Party, could actually build a school with their own strength, brick by brick …

- Loris Malaguzzi

The Fundamentals

Schools that follow the Reggio Emilia philosophy of education build their programs on the following principles:

• An emergent eurriculum that builds upon the interests of children
• In-depth projects that are long term and built upon the concepts, ideas, and interests of the group
• Representation in multiple forms (print, art, construction, drama, music, puppetry, and shadow play) as tools for development
• Collaboration among home, school and community
• Teacher as learner, researcher, resource and guide
• Documentation of children’s work into portfolios
• An environment that plays a crucial role as the third teacher

A key tenet of the Reggio Emilia approach is that art helps children express their thoughts. Reggio classrooms are packed with a profusion of innovative materials for the children to work with, such as pebbles, dried orange peel, driftwood, tangles of wire and tin cans. “The environment as the third teacher” is a favorite Reggio phrase.

- excerpt from The Garlanded Classroom in The New York Times

The Reggio Emilia Approach in San Diego

If you are searching for a preschool program in the San Diego area that follows the Reggio Emilia approach, you might quickly become overwhelmed by the plethora of preschools that San Diego offers; Greatschools.net lists 667 programs! The San Diego Reggio Roundtable, a group of early childhood educators and parents who promote the Reggio philosophy, comes to the rescue with the following alphabetical list of schools and centers that appear on their website.

Aspirations School of Learning
6286 El Camino Real
Carlsbad, CA 92009
(760) 603-9173
http://www.aspiringchild.com/

College Park Preschool
5075 B Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92115
(619) 582-2520
http://www.collegeparkpreschool.org/

Cuyamaca College Child Development Center
900 Rancho San Diego Parkway
El Cajon, CA 92019
(619) 660-4660
http://www.cuyamaca.edu/cdc/

Grossmont College Child Development Center
8800 Grossmont College Dr.
El Cajon, CA  92020
(619) 644-7000
http://www.grossmont.edu/childdevelopment/center.asp

Hanna Fenichel Center
336 N Acacia Ave
Solana Beach, CA 92075-1108
(858) 755-0860
http://www.hannafenichel.com/

La Jolla United Methodist Church Nursery School
6063 La Jolla Blvd
La Jolla, CA 92037-6799
(858) 454-1418
http://www.ljumcns.com/

The Little School
9614 Pebble Beach Drive
Santee, CA 92071
(619) 449-7162
http://www.onelittleschool.com/

Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church Preschool
17010 Pomerado Road
San Diego, CA 92128
(858) 487-0824
http://www.rbcpcpreschool.net/

Southwestern College Child Development Center
900 Otay Lakes Road
Chula Vista, CA 91910
(619) 216-6695
http://www.swccd.edu/4thLevel/index.asp?L3=298

Do you know of additional preschool programs in the San Diego area that either follow or are inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood? If you do, please share in the comments section below!

Learn more

An Argument for Preschool
from Newsweek

A School Must Rest on the Idea that All Children are Different
from Newsweek

The Garlanded Classroom
from The New York Times

Montessori, Reggio Emilia and Waldorf
from An Educated Choice

Reggio Emilia Approach
from Wikipedia

The Reggio Approach and Creative Learning Environments
from Understanding the Reggio Approach via www.alcassociates.co.uk

San Diego Reggio Roundtable

Photos from Aspirations School of Learning website at www.aspiringchild.com.

• 

  The Montessori School of San Diego

  Montessori schools are based upon the work of Italian educator Dr. Maria Montessori in 1907. The underlying philosophy of these schools is that children are individual learners and teachers are facilitators or guides. Students work at their own pace in classrooms that are organized around hands-on, self-directed, developmentally tailored projects and toys. Classrooms are often multi-age and can span two- or three-year age ranges. Montessori programs strive to develop self-motivated, curious, and self-disciplined children.

• Reggio Emilia programs are based upon the preschools developed by Loris Malaguzzi and the people of Reggio Emilia, Italy in the 1940s. Their emergent curriculum reflects the interests of their students and learning is a collaboration between teachers and students. Teachers document their students’ learning and play through pictures and words. Reggio Emilia programs emphasize creativity and artistic pursuits, and they consider the educational environment as the “third teacher,” playing a crucial role in the education of their students.

• Waldorf schools, also called Steiner schools, were founded in 1919 by Austrian educator Rudolf Steiner. Their pedagogy is based upon Steiner’s educational philosophy  and teachings, which follow a developmental model of education, and on anthroposophy, a sprititual philosophy founded by Steiner. Waldorf schools emphasize creative learning with the goal of developing the child whole child – academically, emotionally and physically. School days follow a dependable routine within a home-like atmosphere with play materials made of natural substances. Television and computers are strongly discouraged for younger children. Teachers often remain with a group of students for several years, creating a strong bond between teacher and child.

For a more in-depth look at these three approaches, Carolyn Pope Edwards at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln has written an article for Early Childhood Research and Practice titled, “Three Approaches from Europe: Waldorf, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia.”

Thanks to Private School News by Robert Kennedy on About.com for the pointer to this article.

Mare has built a memorable twenty-year career as an early childhood educator, spending ten years at The Children’s School in La Jolla and currently serving as the director of Aspirations School of Learning, an infant through kindergarten school in Carlsbad, CA. She has achieved many career milestones and accolades that include becoming a mentor teacher with the state of California, achieving clear credential certification, earning a specialization in the Reggio Emilia approach, being selected as a study group member to visit schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and currently serving as a member of the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance. One of Mare’s greatest joys as a teacher has been participating in the development of an art program for preschoolers, The Great Artists.

Mare completed her education in early childhood at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California, earning both an undergraduate degree as well as a Master of Arts degree in human development with a specialization in leadership in education. Her leadership at Aspirations is based upon her desire to create a special place where children and their families can grow, bond, learn and aspire together, and where children are nurtured, intellectually stimulated and encouraged to use their imagination. As they say in Reggio, “Nothing but joy.”

For Mare Williams, creating a footprint worth remembering has always been her ardent philosophy for life. Finding joy and passion in her work, both personally and professionally, has helped to create the foundation with which she has followed her dreams. We at An Educated Choice look forward to learning from Mare as she shares her expertise in early childhood education. Watch for Mare’s posts beginning in January 2010.