You may have heard of the approach to early and middle childhood education sometimes called ‘Reggio’.

This innovative and inspiring approach is named after Reggio Emilia, the area in Italy where the ideas, principles and practices of this approach were developed.

The approach is considered one of the most important advances in early and middle childhood education and care in the last century and is now influencing Educators worldwide, including across Australia.
We apply many of the Reggio principles here at the Outside School Hours Program at Guildford Grammar School. The most fundamental being that we understand that children have multiple ways of thinking, playing, exploring, speaking and doing.

The Reggio Emilia approach encourages children to use every tool they have to express themselves.
Our role is to facilitate that.

We believe that children are active participants in their own learning, not simply an empty vessel waiting to be filled with knowledge. Children at the Guildford Grammar School OSHC and Vacation Care are able to pursue their own interests and revisit and build upon ideas at their own pace.

This approach gives the children an incredible sense of belonging.

A Reggio-inspired environment is one that is open and free-flowing. It enables uninterrupted exploration, play and learning. The adults in that environment participate in the explorations, modelling learning and facilitating the work that the children do, protecting the child’s enjoyment as they go on.
During the Vacation Care program, we have had so many children interested in creative arts that we have had to open a drawing room as well as an art workshop to facilitate that interest as well as working outdoors and on the verandahs.

We asked several of the young artists to paint on canvas, expressing themselves and their sense of place in the Vacation Care House. The results are now hanging around the Centre.
 

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