Our Philosophy
At WPSN our approach is inspired by the renowned preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, and the work of scholars such as Piaget, Vygotsky and Erikson.
Image of the Child
We believe each child is unique, competent and full of potential for learning, developing relationships, creating and imagining. This image of the child is reflected in all the choices we make regarding children, their families, our school and classroom environment, and our curriculum.
Families
We are committed to a collaborative approach to nurturing each child by engaging parents in communication, education, shared activities, and providing various opportunities for feedback and participation in every aspect of school life. We co-construct a knowledge base, which continues to evolve and grow. WPSN strives to create an environment of inclusiveness and community among children, teachers, and parents.
Educators
We believe that the role of the educator is to co-construct and facilitate learning with children, and colleagues. Educators ask open-ended questions, make reflective statements of children's ideas, and offer choices that will help to support the journey of learning. They build trusting, nurturing, and respectful relationships with children and families. Educators document children's thoughts and work, reflect on the learning process, and incorporate the knowledge and insights to further guide their journey of discovery together with the child. They model the learning process by their own continued growth and development, both within and outside the classroom.
Environment
The environment is a teacher, an oasis, and an evolving reflection of the children and teachers who inhabit it. It is carefully designed to invite exploration and experimentation, inspire imagination and creativity, foster autonomy and cooperation, and provide both structure and flexibility
Curriculum
Our play-based curriculum is based on the belief that knowledge is built by the learner internally rather than being imported from an external source. In a thoughtfully planned program that addresses all areas of development (emotional, social, physical and cognitive), children and teachers collaborate on meaningful in-depth explorations of materials and ideas. Through carefully guided play, children test ideas, build concepts and learn about relationships.
