Parkland Players prides itself in being one of the earliest Daycares to provide Reggio-inspired approaches in the Tri-cities, and is also unique in being a part of a school that offers the same approach to education, Meadowbrook Elementary School.
Welcome to Reggio Emilia Approach
Our program is based on the philosophy that all children are equal and unique individuals. We accommodate each child to his/her own rate of development.
We provide a warm, safe and nurturing environment to cultivate children’s optimal social and emotional growth as well as their physical and intellectual skills. In addition to promoting confidence and success, we also encourage children to learn to be creative and independent.
The Reggio philosophy of education began in 1963 in preschools in the municipality of Reggio Emilia, northern Italy. The approach was then extended to infant-toddler centres in 1970. Through evolution and refinement over the past 4 decades, this international educational experience geared towards children aged three months to six years, has been shaped into a program which children can explore their environment through their own unique perspective, and use their choice of expression such as language, art, dance, or drama to communicate their feelings and ideas. This approach has yielded a higher level of creativity, an increase in positive social behaviour, less aggression, fewer accidents and improved school readiness among children educated under the Reggio approach.
Under the Reggio approach, the teachers indirectly provoke ideas and solutions in children, and accompany the children on the exploration process rather than creating a distinct instructor/pupil relationship. The environment is created and organized as such that is visually appealing to the children, and fosters curiosity and creativity. The ultimate goal is for the children to express their learning, knowledge, and experience freely and uniquely.
Being the pioneers in Reggio Emilia Approach, Parkland Players has completed an educational manual that is used internally throughout the year. This manual, known as “Hundred Languages of Experience”, provides a vast number of activities focusing on Children’s Domains of learning (Motor, Cognitive and Effective). This manual is accessible to Parkland Players teachers allowing them to prepare for their students within the activity.
Parkland Players focuses on further engaging the parents into their child’s education by providing them with daily and weekly reports. As such, the domain of learning related to each activity is presented to the families in order to comfort and educate them. This reporting system continuously provides a transparent window to the child’s growth and development.
The Centre has been successfully following the Reggio Emilia approach for the past 20 years, and has only improved with the implementation of new structure. The ultimate goal at Parkland Players is to provide an environment where a child can experience and learn from, while following these main guiding principles: Collaboration, The Image of the Children, Relationships, Develop-mentation, Provocation, and the 100 Languages of Children.
At Parkland Players we think that teaching children the value of being a member of your community is essential. In order to do this, we partner with a senior care facility in our local community so that children can visit residents in the neighbourhood once per month. Through these monthly visits, we hope that the children in our centre learn to respect and care for the elderly and understand the importance of making connections with various peoples in their lives.