Creative Arts Charter School : About Us
Our Mission

The Reggio Emilia Approach

The Reggio Emilia approach, primarily employed in Kindergarten through 3rd Grades, is a child-centered, socio-education model that originated in the Northern Italian principality of Reggio Emilia shortly after World War II. This internationally renowned educational system embodies the social-constructivist learning theories of Dewey, Piaget and Vygotsky. In this model, learning is described as a process of creation where children construct meaning in a social context, based on pre-existing knowledge and cultural experience by direct testing of their ideas. It assumes and respects that children learn best through their own creative process. Teachers support the explorative inquiries and follow the explorative lead of their students, fostering a learning environment where each child, the instructor, and the class work together to investigate a student's theories and general inquiries. Teachers carefully document individual and group learning processes and progress, sharing the information with parents who actively participate in their children's learning and development.