The Image of the Child

All children are viewed as capable, competent, curious, natural researchers who are full of knowledge, potential and are interested in connecting with the world around them.  They are encouraged to lead their own learning, exploring what captivates their interest, with adults facilitating their learning through respectful interactions and supporting individuals to develop and learn at their own rate.

Children are Unique

We appreciate that children learn in different ways. Young children learn best when they are truly excited, engaged and motivated, so we are child led in almost everything that we do, bringing the ‘teaching’ to the children and allowing them to follow their passions and interests.  Adults teach ‘in the moment’ and it is in this way that we ensure that each child’s learning is specified to their individual needs and abilities and help them to build their learning over time.

Focus Children

By focusing on individual children and their specific interests, learning and needs each week, as well as through observations, professional discussions, quality interactions, strong relationships and assessments, we are able to identify areas of need and next developmental steps, when appropriate, ensuring that good progress is made by all of our children.  During children’s ‘focus child’ weeks, practitioner observations, interactions and the outcomes of teachable moments are recorded and contribute to the child’s ‘Special Book’ which is part of how we monitor the children’s developmental learning journeys. This approach supports children to develop as purposeful, calm, confident and independent learners. Our highly skilled teams support children to meet their next steps and drive their innate desire to learn forwards.

We take children’s ideas and play seriously so that we can support them in their exploration, learning, thinking and expression of their ideas in a ‘hundred languages.’

NO WAY. THE HUNDRED IS THERE

The child

is made of one hundred.

The child has

a hundred languages

a hundred hands

a hundred thoughts

a hundred ways of thinking

of playing, of speaking.

A hundred always a hundred

ways of listening

of marvelling of loving

a hundred joys

for singing and understanding

a hundred worlds

to discover

a hundred worlds

to invent

a hundred worlds

to dream.

The child has

a hundred languages

(and a hundred hundred hundred more)

but they steal ninety-nine.

The school and the culture

separate the head from the body.

They tell the child:

to think without hands

to do without head

to listen and not to speak

to understand without joy

to love and to marvel

only at Easter and Christmas.

They tell the child:

to discover the world already there

and of the hundred

they steal ninety-nine.

They tell the child:

that work and play

reality and fantasy

science and imagination

sky and earth

reason and dream

are things

that do not belong together.

And thus they tell the child

that the hundred is not there.

The child says:

No way. The hundred is there.

Loris Malaguzzi   (translated by Lella Gandini)