Discovery. Direction. Growth
Preschool of the Arts is inspired by the Reggio approach to education which it proudly interprets and adapts for our five NYC neighborhood schools. Our schools are unified by our shared vision and mission; namely the “primacy effect” which stresses that the earliest events in life are the most formative ones and are the critical determinants of long course development. We are a collection of boutique schools for young children where each child’s intellectual, emotional, social, and moral potential is carefully cultivated and guided.
Young children have active and lively minds from the start. They are innately driven to make sense of their experiences through investigation and pursuit of knowledge as well as to adapt to their physical and cultural environment. These inborn dispositions flourish, deepen and strengthen under carefully honed conditions. We work tirelessly to cultivate these conditions.
Relationships and interactions form the nucleus of our program. We focus our collective and individual vigor on the quality of DAY-TO-DAY interactions of children, their teachers, and their peers so that their moments together become rich, engaging, satisfying, and meaningful.
Our curriculum emerges from the interests of the children. Children are enthusiastic to learn since they are learning about subjects that are interesting and relevant to them. They are active participants in the learning process, always inspired to ask questions, explore possibilities, and draw conclusions. Children learn math, science, social studies, reading, writing, art, music, as well as Hebrew language and Jewish traditions, through a hands-on approach and in a way that is relevant to them.
Children’s work, ideas, memories, and experiences are documented and shared in a multitude of pleasing ways. The respect that is shown for their work imbues children with tremendous self-esteem. Documentation makes learning visible and provides a means for teachers and children to communicate and share what they are doing with parents, thereby encouraging parent participation. Since it provides a history of learning, it is a form of assessment for teachers and children that allows them to scaffold their learning and plan future experiences.
In classrooms that embrace co-constructed learning, children actively participate in the teaching and learning process. Skilled teachers seize upon children’s innate curiosity and sense of wonder through careful observation and documentation of their play.
A Reggio curriculum is fluid and organic. The curriculum emerges from the interests of children. Since teachers are careful observers of children, they are very familiar with topics that excite their curiosity.
