Learning from others is a critical part of what we do at Beginnings. We prioritize our professional development by setting aside weekly time for teachers to gather together to discuss and document the learning we observe in the classroom.
We have been inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach since 1995 and continually seek to deepen our understanding of it by observing in schools and areas beyond New York City. We have visited numerous other American preschools in Boston, St. Louis, Portland, and Vermont. Additionally, the majority of our head teachers and administrators have attended the study week in Reggio and other conferences in Italy. We have also been fortunate to have worked directly with various Reggio Educators onsite in NYC. Beginnings hosted the Wonder of Learning Exhibit in 2015 - the traveling exhibition showing the work of the schools in Reggio Emilia - where 10,000 people came to view the documentation from Reggio Emilia, Italy. The event brought Reggio-inspired educators and schools from around the country to help learn and raise awareness of the importance of early childhood education here in NYC.
In 2016 we sought to learn more from educators in Finland and Sweden. Finland was considered to be on top of the world educationally. We were able to observe in schools and presented our own work at the Council for Creative Education conference in Tampere, Finland. In Sweden, a relationship with the Reggio Emilia Institutet and Professor Emeritis Gunilla Dahlberg at Stocklholm University, provided opportunities for lectures, visits to Reggio-Inspired schools and forest schools. We were most interested in learning about the benefits of extended time in nature for children. We were able to witness firsthand the heartiness of these Nordic children, pulling their own sleds, playing in the woods, climbing trees, and storytelling.
We continue to look for new ways to develop our classroom approaches and to seek new inspirations within New York City, across the country, and abroad.
