Early Childhood: Grades PS - K
Reggio Emilia Philosophy
Stanley Clark’s early childhood program incorporates the innovative and unique program of the Reggio Emilia Philosophy, which incorporates all the ideals that we believe are essential for the development and education of young children. From the careful design and organization of space to the documentation of children's work, conversation and activities, ours is truly a child-centered education.
Early childhood teachers work with the children to create an atmosphere that promotes open-ended, process-oriented discovery and exploration. Our faculty are life-long learners who accompany the children on this journey. They continue to study the Reggio approach and to interpret and apply the Reggio philosophy within our culture and context.
Although they are young, early childhood students are competent and capable of incredibly wonderful creative work when they are presented with sophisticated tools.
Early Childhood Curriculum
Challenging. Inspiring. Engaging. These are a few words used to describe the unique Stanley Clark curriculum. The academic experience of students is complemented with education in the arts, athletics and character - an empowering combination that results in graduates who lead, volunteer, inspire and excel. Course descriptions may be found below. Please note that our responsive, adaptive pedagogy and desire to meet students' educational needs may necessitate additions, modifications or deletions to the curriculum midyear.
Classroom Environment
Careful consideration is given to the design and organization of space, equipment and materials because the physical environment is considered another teacher that has the power to facilitate learning.
Throughout the environment, indoors and out, children are consistently given the opportunity to communicate what they know, wonder, feel and imagine through a fantastic variety of materials and activities.
Documentation
Our respect for our young students and the value we place on their work is evident in the process of documentation. Transcriptions of children's conversations, photographs of their activities, and representations of their work produce displays of the children's thinking and learning. These displays become points of reference for the children, parents and teachers.
The Garatoni Center for Reggio Studies
In 2004, The Garatoni Center for Reggio Studies was built as an addition to the existing preschool, Fannin Hall. Our architects immersed themselves in the Reggio Philosophy, allowing them to design rooms which heighten the Reggio experience.
For example, large, aligning windows create a feeling of connection to the outdoors. Since parents are encouraged to be involved in what happens at school, windows, corridors, and observation points allow for parents and other visitors to observe the classrooms unobtrusively.
Our Garatoni Center for Reggio Studies is designed both architecturally and educationally to enable training of other local and regional institutions seeking to study the approach. Relationships have already been established with several local universities including Indiana University South Bend, Saint Mary's College, and Ivy Tech in order to become an integral part in the professional growth of early childhood teachers.