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Preschool Philosophies
* Please note that the below information is only a small part of what each philosophy represents. Only a director/owner of a program can fully explain their philosophy
* Also note that preschool programs can be offered in facilities, churches, community centers, and licensed family child care homes.
These pre-schools place a strong emphasis on early reading, beginning computation, and other skills usually reserved for elementary school. Much of the class time is spent in teacher-led group activities and is quite structured.
This is the most common type of preschool philosophy in the United States. A developmentally appropriate program tends to emphasize the different areas of a preschooler' s development- which are physical, cognitive, emotional and social. The classroom is set up with a "hands-on" approach. In this type of program there is a mixture of both self-directed and teacher directed activities.
Based on the child development ideas of Jean Piaget, the High/Scope Preschool Curriculum views children as active learners, who learn best from activities that they themselves plan, carry out, and reflect upon. The children are encouraged to engage in a variety of key experiences that help them to make choices, solve problems, and actively contribute to their own development.
These programs are based on the philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori from the early 1900's, who believed that children learn by accomplishing different tasks, or using toys as tools to accomplish these tasks. A Montessori classroom is very structured, with children moving from activity to activity but at the child's own pace. This is a very individualized program and children are encouraged to work without other children. In a Montessori classroom teachers are there to control the environment, not the child.
This curriculum was developed in Reggio Emilia, Italy. It combines some characteristics of both developmental programs and Montessori. The central element in this approach is the emphasis on a child's symbolic language such as drawing, dramatic play and writing. This is considered an extension of the "whole language" approach. In a Reggio Emilia classroom the environment plays a key role, as it is often considered another "teacher". The classroom is very child directed and projects tend to follow a child's interest. It is unusual to find a time limit on any one project.
There are just over 120 Waldorf preschools in North America. This philosophy was based on Austrian philosopher Rudolph Steiner in the early 1900's. In this program the classroom offers plenty of opportunity for dramatic, imitative and creative play, as well as, an emphasis on practical activities such as gardening and cooking. Academics are de-emphasized.
Parent Co-operative Preschools are formed by groups of parents with similar philosophies who organize to provide their children with a quality preschool experience. The school is administered and maintained by a director on a non-profit, non-sectarian basis. Each family volunteers to do a job in the classroom on a rotating basis. The basic philosophy is that children and parents go to school together with guidance from a qualified teacher. The focus is on child development. The teacher plans the curriculum and also helps to educate the parents about teaching and parenting methods.
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