We are inspired by Reggio Emilia's attention to the classroom environment - considered the third teacher by practitioners. Our teachers are therefore intentional in their selection of multisensory materials and spend time displaying them in beautiful ways. Our Materials Center, located on the fifth floor, houses found and natural materials gathered and donated by New York City residents and businesses. These materials, objects from our everyday lives that are often discarded, are daily repurposed or transformed into something new by our children, encouraging their creativity, problem solving, and action. Each day, teachers consider the developing curriculum and make choices about materials and space that invite children to interact and engage with - indeed, to recreate - their environment.
