Cornerstone Child Development Center

Reggio Emelia Inspired Center
The Reggio Emilia Approach, founded by Loris Malaguzzi, stems from the belief that children are capable of initiating their own learning. It is is based on the concept that a child has ‘100 languages’ to show us what they know; children will express themselves and their learning in any way they feel comfortable.

As a Reggio inspired center, we focus on building the cognitive, social, language, creative, and physical skills that encourage students to be knowledge bearers and researchers in their own learning experiences.

An important component of this approach is the idea of an emergent curriculum – a Reggio-inspired curriculum is always flexible and changes based on the children’s ideas, thoughts and observations. Children are full of curiosity and creativity, and in a Reggio inspired classroom, these qualities are consistently emphasized.

Play Based Learning
In a play based learning setting children are provided with long periods of uninterrupted play time. They have the opportunity to follow their own interests and are encouraged to initiate activities and be self-directed with the support of their teachers. They learn to take ownership of their learning experiences. Play-based learning helps children develop social skills, motivation to learn, and language and numeracy skills. Taking initiative, focused attention, and curiosity about the world are all a part of play.

Research in early childhood education has shown that children learn through play and hands-on experiences, so our program is intentionally a low-tech program. We do not utilize computers, tablets, smartboards or other technological devices as teaching tools in the classroom. We know that children can, and will, learn to interact with technology outside of Cornerstone. Instead, we focus on social and emotional skill development and take advantage of the dynamic that is created in a group of children.