Jewish Beginnings Lubavitch Preschool

At Jewish Beginnings, our teachers and staff members alike seek to research and embrace the image of the child. We believe in educating the whole child and use specific educational goals to create an appropriate curriculum that has intentional progression and views the children as competent learners.
The Reggio Emilia philosophy, in conjunction with meaningful Judaic content encompasses the philosophies which our school stands behind, for best practices in early childhood education. The Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education has attracted the worldwide attention of educators and researchers. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)‘s revised version of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) guidelines includes examples from the Reggio approach.
Here are some key features of Reggio Emilia’s early childhood curriculum:

The role of the environment-as-teacher

Great attention is given to the look and feel of the classroom, it is often referring to the environment as the “third teacher”. Teachers create environments rich in possibilities and provocations to extended exploration and problem-solving.

Children’s multiple symbolic languages

Using the arts as a symbolic language through which to express their understandings in their project work.

Documentation as assessment and advocacy

Documenting and displaying the children’s project work, which is necessary for children to express, revisit, and construct and reconstruct their feelings, ideas and understandings. Teachers act as recorders (documenters) for the children, helping them trace and revisit their words and actions, thereby making the learning visible.

Long-term Projects

Supporting and enriching children’s learning through in-depth, short-term (one week) and long-term (throughout the school year) project work. Projects are child-centered, following their interests, returning again and again to add new insights.

The Teacher as Researcher

The role of the teacher is first and foremost to be that of a learner alongside the children. The teacher is a teacher-researcher, a resource and guide as she/he lends expertise to children. Within such a teacher-researcher role, educators carefully listen, observe, and document children’s work and the growth of community in their classroom and are to provoke and stimulate thinking

Home-school relationships

Children, teachers, parents and community are interactive and work together, building a community of inquiry between adults and children.