https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 17 Jun 2026 15:08:34 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/reggio-preschools#post-1127017 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 18:10:33 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 1127017@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@banana: I totally agree with your summation and it sounds like Reggio is a perfect fit for your son! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/reggio-preschools#post-1126799 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 16:02:28 +0000 banana 1126799@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mole: I would definitely tour other programs, including Montessori, to see which fits your child's needs the best! I was 100% sure I was going to send my son to a Montessori school but when I walked into the Reggio school, I just "felt" that it was the right one for him. Our school is very nature-focused as well. They spend most of their time outdoors (70% of the time?), even when it rains! It helps that we're in California though! They'll bundle the kids up, have them put on rainboots and splash in mud puddles and learn about worms and other creepy crawlies. There's a vegetable and fruit garden, which the parents and teachers help upkeep. And there's a tire swing and treehouse in the middle of the courtyard. There's a bridge which the children love to ride their bikes on and tons and tons of trees everywhere. </p> <p>I think the main takeaway is that these children learn a lot of soft skills, like cooperation, respect for the environment and other people, sharing and taking turns. What I've seen is a lot of love and care for these children in a warm, nurturing and natural environment. I'm sure they teach these things at other schools. I think the difference is in the context in which they learn these skills, if that makes sense.</p> <p>Good luck in your search! I'm sure you will find the right one for your child. Your research and diligence will certainly pay off! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/reggio-preschools#post-1126751 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 15:51:04 +0000 mole 1126751@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: @banana: Thank you both for your comments. That was super helpful! </p> <p>@Mrs. Jacks: I totally see how that example of the bug was off-putting, even if the primary emphasis in the program is to nurture curiosity (rather than learning hard facts, for lack of a better way to describe a more traditional, academic program). And good point on the need to make sure that the teachers are all top-notch since the curriculum is fluid. </p> <p>I do need to do more research into Montessori programs and tour one or two to have better insight into the feel of the schools. </p> <p>@banana: One program we are looking into is set in this beautiful garden with dozens of fruit trees and herbs growing all around, and one of the teachers used to work as an environmental educator. Having our kid connect with the natural world at that age is so important to me for our boy since we live in a big city with lots of concrete and busy streets. </p> <p>I know that the most important thing is to find a preschool where my kid feels comfortable and happy and learns important social skills like interacting with peers, sharing and working with others, listening and following directions, etc. (My husband and I both went to very loosely organized programs, and we both ended up with grad degrees!) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/reggio-preschools#post-1126642 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 15:20:22 +0000 banana 1126642@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: Oh, not at all! I don't take things like this personally (I don't really take a lot of things that personally). Just wanted to give Mole some perspective as she makes her decision. I love both programs equally. My son has some needs (speech in particular) so this drove our ultimate decision to enroll him in Reggio. He needed a lot more engagement with his environment because he's definitely an outdoorsy type. When he gets excited, he talks and talks and talks. And boy does he talk at his new preschool!</p> <p>My daughter is a lot more focused and NEEDS STRUCTURE! I'm actually excited to see both programs at work! I went to Montessori for 3 years and I think I turned out pretty alright. :)</p> <p>ETA: You must have an amazing memory to know so much about a bug! Do you have some sort of photographic memory? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/reggio-preschools#post-1126625 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 15:13:49 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 1126625@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@banana: Please don't think I was critical in any way :) It certainly was our next choice, but like you said Montessori seemed to suit Lala's needs and M is thriving there too... In fact, I think M would get lost without the Montessori structure. Lala would have done fine in either one, I bet! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/reggio-preschools#post-1126617 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 15:10:16 +0000 banana 1126617@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: Great write up! This has been what I have noticed, too. Like I had mentioned, it really does depend on each individual child and also what the parent feels comfortable with. And it's funny because that bug incident totally happened last week. They saw a beetle in the garden and didn't know what it was. There were several parents there and none of us knew. So the next day, the teacher brought out some insect books and had the children look at all of the insects and try to ID it. Did they get it right? I'm not sure. But the process of researching and finding out and tuning into their curiosity was what really appealed to me, rather than the final outcome (correctly IDing the bug).</p> <p>My daughter is a lot more self-directed than my son and her personality would suit a Montessori program better. So we may be sending one to Reggio and one to Montessori! I think both programs are excellent for different reasons! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/reggio-preschools#post-1126590 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 14:56:21 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 1126590@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mole: Some of what I felt is hard to put into words, but I can try.</p> <p>I guess there is self-directed and then there is self-directed... So Montessori is self- directed with a structure while Reggio Emilia was self-directed with so much less structure. I was worried about a program that relied on a skilled teacher to make up the curriculum on the fly. So while Montessori programs have works all with a curriculum familiar to the teachers, Reggio relies on the teacher to pick up on and teach whatever the kid is exploring.</p> <p>I'll give an example... when we toured Reggio, the kids set their agenda around a type of bug they had just found. They were fascinated and wanted to learn more about it... but the teacher did not know what kind of bug it was, where it came from, where it lived or anything. So the whole class just kind of observed the bug. The teacher said she was going to find out more about it for the next day, but I'm not sure if she was even going to be able to ID it or follow through. Still a valuable experience? Sure. But not the learning experience that I was hoping it to be. (PS, I was holding my tongue because it was a box elder bug-- a true bug-- with origins in Asia, lives on sunny South facing walls and in box elder or pear trees. They are active in early summer and fall).</p> <p>I guess all that was to say that I had greater faith in a curriculum with a track record than relying on hopefully really good teachers.</p> <p>Having said all that, we still really liked the program, but the fluidity was a drawback not a plus in my estimation.</p> <p>As for pretend play, we felt like our daughters did a lot of that at home and we preferred them to get more of the practical life skills at school. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/reggio-preschools#post-1126462 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 14:05:20 +0000 banana 1126462@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mole: We enrolled my son in a Reggio-inspired preschool just last month and we absolutely 100% love it. We toured almost every preschool in our area (around 12 I think) and even interviewed most of the teachers. We came to the conclusion that the type of preschool you choose REALLY depends on each individual child and their needs.</p> <p>With that said, what we liked the most about the preschool is exactly what @mossyslane said.... "very respectful of the child's curiosity and really works to empower children." We found this to be 100% true. The teachers are very much in tune with every child's developmental needs. They respect every child and don't push any of them to meet any sort of developmental milestone. They strongly believe that each child has his/her own timetable and that gently guiding them will help them master it in their own time. They use tons of natural resources to teach. They don't do worksheets or use tons of manipulatives. They learn to count by (for example) picking up acorns that fell from the tree. And in the meantime, they learn about trees and nuts and squirrels! They don't have set a curriculum that is repeated year after year. They observe the children and see what interests them as a group. Then the teachers will create materials that are centered around that theme. The teachers act as facilitators for learning (which is key). It's definitely not an academic focused school, nor is it teacher-led. It's completely children-led. There's no right or wrong way to complete task. They are free to use their imagination and creativity to complete it as they wish.</p> <p>When they hit pre-K, they will move a little more towards structured play to prepare them to Kinder. I do hear that some of these children have a bit of a rough time entering Kinder at first. But that they adjust fine after a short period of time. I can see why this type of program wouldn't be a good fit for special needs kids who need a lot of structure. But it's a great program if you want your child to learn through imagination, curiosity and respect. I called several moms who had children go through this program and they all agreed that what their children learned from the program wasn't strong academics. But what their children did learn was self-confidence. And to me, that's the ultimate lesson we want to teach our son because we truly believe it'll be a good foundation for him when he enters an academic setting. </p> <p>I was going to write more but didn't want to bombard you with too information! You can always wall me if you have any specific questions! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/reggio-preschools#post-1126167 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 12:25:01 +0000 mole 1126167@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@banana: Great, thanks! I appreciate it.<br /> @sarac: What a cool combination! I bet that lends for really interesting "field trips" for the kids.<br /> @Mrs. Jacks: Was there any particular reason you went with Montessori instead? I think we are leaning away from it because we personally want more emphasis on arts and imaginative work (for example, allowing students to use manipulatives and materials first without being instructed in their use) but I hear so many great things about the Montessori method and its foundation for more academic learning.<br /> @mossyslane: That sounds like a great endorsement; it's exactly what we want for our kiddo.<br /> @Sammyfab: What makes it difficult for some kids? We aren't interested in an academic curriculum for preschool, but I'll keep that point in mind when we transition him to kindergarten. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/reggio-preschools#post-1125058 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 21:49:54 +0000 Sammyfab 1125058@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I work as an occupational therapist in a preschool for children with special needs (delayed speech, developmental delays, ASD, behavioural challneges, etc.). While the Reggio curriculum is really interesting and can benefit a lot of students, it isn't a great fit for many of the kids I work with. We don't need to follow Reggio with therapy though. One complaint I have heard from the teachers I work with is that it is difficult to incorporate an academic curriculum while being true to Reggio. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/reggio-preschools#post-1125031 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 21:18:26 +0000 mossyslane 1125031@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Reggio is amazing. I'm a museum educator and Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Education is one of our foundations. It is so very respectful of the child's curiosity and really works to empower children. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/reggio-preschools#post-1124892 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 20:21:06 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 1124892@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We visited our local Reggio emelia, and liked it, but ultimately liked our Montessori better. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/reggio-preschools#post-1124866 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 20:13:50 +0000 sarac 1124866@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I go to a museum that has an attached Regio school, and it looks just amazing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/reggio-preschools#post-1124779 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 19:39:27 +0000 banana 1124779@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes! My son is in one! I'm on my phone but will be back later to write more! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/reggio-preschools#post-1124771 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 19:37:11 +0000 mole 1124771@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hey everyone! We just started the process of touring and putting in applications to preschools. I am wondering if anyone has any experience with Reggio preschools. Any pros or cons? </p> <p>It seems like all of our favorite schools -- at least from the perspective of a prospective parent -- are Reggio inspired. It seems like a fantastic philosophy, especially since we are looking for a play-based, child-directed, creative environment.</p> <p>Thanks! </p>