The Reggio Emilia approach was selected for its alignment with Jewish values and ability to stimulate creativity and learning. This approach is based on the belief that young children deserve experiences that support multifaceted potential and cultivate a love of learning. Teachers in a Reggio-inspired program prioritize mutual respect with students and families, and use children's interests to customize learning experiences. The process and outcomes of children's projects are carefully documented using words and images, which serve as valuable tools for reflection and dialogue.

 

The Reggio Emilia approach uses an emergent curriculum approach. Emergent curriculum is based on the premise that children are most successful at learning when classroom experiences account for their interests, strengths, needs, and lived realities. Educators use observations of children throughout their day as a tool for guiding curriculum content. Meaningful learning opportunities are then provided in support of key developmental skills relevant to a specific age group. When ongoing opportunities for practice lead to a child mastering a certain skill, educators respond by enriching the learning experience through the planning and implementation of increasingly difficult tasks. As children repeatedly confront and master these “achievable challenges,” they come to view themselves as competent learners. In addition, the alignment of curriculum content with individual interests and social realities serves to validate all forms of diversity and inspires a lifelong passion for learning.

 

In emergent curriculum, both teachers and students have initiative and make decisions. This power to impact curriculum direction means that sometimes curriculum is also negotiated between what interests children and what adults know is necessary for children’s education and development. Ideas for curriculum emerge from responding to the interests, questions, and concerns generated within a particular environment, by a particular group of people, at a particular time. Thus, emergent curriculum is never built on children’s interests alone; teachers and parents also have interests worth bringing into the curriculum. The values and concerns of all the adults involved, both teachers and parents, help the classroom culture evolve.