Preschool differences?

[ilovetivo]

What's the difference btwn Reggio Emilia, Montessori, Waldorf etc? Any site to find Reggio Emilia in my state? (Illinois) I can't find them.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Here's a basic primer:
parentcenter.babycenter.com/refcap/bigkid/gpreschool/64635.html

And some more:
http://www.southflorida.com/sfparenting/sfe-sfp-whichpreschool,0,3787738.story

http://www.howkidsdevelop.com/prekPrograms.html

They all say it better than I could. :)

When I was searching for preschools I took the time to find the Montessoris and Waldorfs in my area and read their websites- specifically their parent handbook. I got a better feel for which school philosophy might be best for my family. Some of them just weren't a good fit (like I knew ds would love to wear his Cars' t-shirt or bring a Cars' lunchbox to school and the Waldorf near us discouraged any clothes with liscensed characters- not a major problem but it probably wasn't what I was looking for).

Beth

[jenmcadams]

Here's a link to Reggio schools in IL:

http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/reggio/viewreggio.cgi?state=IL

My DD goes to a Reggio inspired daycare/preschool here in Colorado and I love it. I wasn't as in love with Montessori and Waldorf definitely wasn't for our family. I love, love, love her school, but like all other philosophies, every school is very different. Another place to look for information on the different philosophies/pedagogies is The Learning at School forum on Mothering.com:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=51

I also did some basic googling about positives and negatives of each which yielded some interesting sites (particularly related to Waldorf).

Good luck!

[jk3]

If you can find a local Reggio school, go for it! I wish we had one.

Jenn
DS 6/03
& cautiously expecting in May!

[MonicaH]

I just found this link to an article that discusses some of the historical, philosophical, and practical differences between Montessori, Waldorf, and Reggio Emilia education. It has additional links within it.

http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v4n1/edwards.html

Monica

[ilovetivo]

Thanks everyone! I just found this too. I'm gonna look at all of them though :)

http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=1367#Reggio%20Emilia

Preschool Philosophy 101: Montessori? Waldorf? Co-op? Understand the many approaches to early childhood education.

[ilovetivo]

Thanks everyone! I just found this too. I'm gonna look at all of them though :)

http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=1367#Reggio%20Emilia

Preschool Philosophy 101: Montessori? Waldorf? Co-op? Understand the many approaches to early childhood education.

[kransden]

Here is my take between Waldorf and Montessori. I don't know a thing about Reggio Emilia. Dd will probably be going to a local Waldorf for school. I have looked into both heavily because the public schools are unacceptable here. It just depends on your child's personality.

Waldorf looks at the child as whole. They are typically very granola type people. Kids ARE NOT taught to read until the 1st grade. Kids are supposed to have the same teacher for the 1st 8 years. Kids learn to knit, sew, hammer etc. They teach fairy tales, norse myths and the old testament besides the regular stuff. They believe in life having a rhythm. Seasonal plays, dramatic renactments are a big part of their curriculum. A lot of it is very new age-ish (is that a word?). Conservative religious people often don't find it isn't a good fit because for example, they talk about Christmas and the solstice. The local school here has a garden and animals. I think of it as more of a dreamer school.

Montessori has mixed ages in their classes. They call the stuff the kids do work. The kids are more self directed. The fairy tale stuff is discouraged. They like more practical stuff like bulding bridges. I feel the school has a more reality based approach to life. I also think it has a larger science foundation than the Waldorf.

Which is better? It just depends on your kid.

One thing though, just make sure the school really is what it says it is. Somes school call themselves Montessori etc. but really aren't.

Karin and Katie 10/24/02

[kransden]

Here is my take between Waldorf and Montessori. I don't know a thing about Reggio Emilia. Dd will probably be going to a local Waldorf for school. I have looked into both heavily because the public schools are unacceptable here. It just depends on your child's personality.

Waldorf looks at the child as whole. They are typically very granola type people. Kids ARE NOT taught to read until the 1st grade. Kids are supposed to have the same teacher for the 1st 8 years. Kids learn to knit, sew, hammer etc. They teach fairy tales, norse myths and the old testament besides the regular stuff. They believe in life having a rhythm. Seasonal plays, dramatic renactments are a big part of their curriculum. A lot of it is very new age-ish (is that a word?). Conservative religious people often don't find it isn't a good fit because for example, they talk about Christmas and the solstice. The local school here has a garden and animals. I think of it as more of a dreamer school.

Montessori has mixed ages in their classes. They call the stuff the kids do work. The kids are more self directed. The fairy tale stuff is discouraged. They like more practical stuff like bulding bridges. I feel the school has a more reality based approach to life. I also think it has a larger science foundation than the Waldorf.

Which is better? It just depends on your kid.

One thing though, just make sure the school really is what it says it is. Somes school call themselves Montessori etc. but really aren't.

Karin and Katie 10/24/02

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

our dd goes to a local montessori school here in the area and we love it. It's a little pricy,but well worth it. Here's the thing with montessori, you need to make sure that you're looking at a school with the international accredidation(sp?). There are two accredidations a school can get, the one for the usa which is a joke. and the international. The usa one requires a very short training session that almost anyone can run their teachers through and buy a few toys,slap the name on their day care and voila. instant montessori.
The international however requires years of education and training. I like to think that it's not just a preschool but a private school since it goes through 6th grade. It follows maria montessori's philosophys to the letter and dd is thriving and blossoming in it.
Yes the children call their play their work. And for good reason, the play that they do at school is so much more than just play. It's how they learn,it's creating the building blocks for learning for the rest of their lives.
DD started off with pouring water,washing tables,polishing silver and stacking blocks. These activities allowed her to gain the small moter control,concentration and other skills that she will need later on. Even washing the table is important because they are taught to wash from left to right(hmm..just like when you write a sentance).
Check out chesterfieldmontessori.com there should be some referance points from there. hth

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

our dd goes to a local montessori school here in the area and we love it. It's a little pricy,but well worth it. Here's the thing with montessori, you need to make sure that you're looking at a school with the international accredidation(sp?). There are two accredidations a school can get, the one for the usa which is a joke. and the international. The usa one requires a very short training session that almost anyone can run their teachers through and buy a few toys,slap the name on their day care and voila. instant montessori.
The international however requires years of education and training. I like to think that it's not just a preschool but a private school since it goes through 6th grade. It follows maria montessori's philosophys to the letter and dd is thriving and blossoming in it.
Yes the children call their play their work. And for good reason, the play that they do at school is so much more than just play. It's how they learn,it's creating the building blocks for learning for the rest of their lives.
DD started off with pouring water,washing tables,polishing silver and stacking blocks. These activities allowed her to gain the small moter control,concentration and other skills that she will need later on. Even washing the table is important because they are taught to wash from left to right(hmm..just like when you write a sentance).
Check out chesterfieldmontessori.com there should be some referance points from there. hth

[hcsl]

This sentence sums up the Montessori philosophy:

Structure the environment, not the child.

Montessori classrooms are very orderly. When a child finishes with a 'work' he is expected to return it to it's place. Children move quietly (for children) through the classroom. They are responsible for selecting their works, and the teacher is there to help if they request it. The multi-aged classrooms foster a sense of community with the older children helping the younger children. In Montessori, courtesy, grace and respect for yourself and others are very important.

One criticism of Montessori (usually form those who have not experienced it first hand) is that children aren't allowed "to be children", meaning they are not running around acting crazy. Having experienced both a Montessori and 'regular' preschool with my ds, I definitely appreciate the self control and discipline he has developed in Montessori school. They have play time outside before and after school, and that's all he does at home, so it does not bother me that he's not playing with toys for the 3 hours he's at school.

When we went for ds' class holiday program, many visitors could not believe that 22 preschoolers were standing still in the front of the classroom for 10 minutes without being reminded to. They all stood quitely and waited until it was time to start singing. I am presonally aware of two children with sensory integration disorders in his class, but they were as still and calm as the other children.

[ilovetivo]

They're not on the website previously posted for Regio Emilia schools, but here's ones in the North Chicago burbs http://bjechicago.org/ps_general_info.asp

After reading all the sites, (thanks again!) I think Reggio Emilia is it for us. I love everything I've heard about it. Plus the particular RE school we like also is fabulous w/ food allergies and is very small - 9-12 kids, 2 teachers, and they're the only class there at that time.

Overview: "In a northern Italian town, Reggio Emilia, after World War II, a group of mothers sold the horses and wagons left behind by the retreating German army and determined to use the funds to build a cooperative preschool for their children. Their concept began with the simple theory that the parents needed to be involved in their children’s education and that it needed to be an education based on respect for the individuality of children. The parents met frequently, creating the ideas for, and actually building the school." http://bjechicago.org/ps_our_philosophy.asp

In the Reggio Emilia philosophy there are many many ways for one to express themself; not just w/ words. I think it's called "100 languages". They emphasize expression through the arts (music, drawing, drama etc) as one of the ways to do it. The kids work with a variety of materials, and work on projects that could last 1 day or 1 year. The projects are documented, allowing them to see that their work is important, to see how progress is made, and to see the finished product in terms of where they started and where they made modifications.

Classrooms decorated with students' artwork, natural materials etc. Relationships and cooperation is encouraged - competition isn't promoted. Teachers (facilitator role) encourage questioning by the students and for them to find their own answeres. The learning/teaching relationship goes both ways. During projects, parents and children have input on how to change them. Parents and teachers get the materials then needed to help the kids vision come alive. Students learn they are an individual whose voice is important to be heard, yet they are a part of community, of which they are able to impact.

Kids that do well with RE enjoy being creative with paint, crayons, and clay. Most kids flourish in RE. "A child who is used to a lot of alone playtime may have a harder time adjusting to the focus on group projects, but will probably end up thriving in this environment." (from Beth's link above http://www.howkidsdevelop.com/prekPrograms.html)