How We Learn

Our approach to learning at Assumption is strongly based on the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. Our founder, Andrea Powell, was first introduced to the Reggio way of learning in 1995 and has been studying and implementing its principles ever since. Reggio Emilia is actually a small town in northern Italy. Following the devastation of the second World War, the community rebuilt their schools literally from the ground up. Over time they created one of the world's top methods for teaching young children. The Reggio schools are famous for their physical beauty inside and out, the artwork their approach inspires, as well as the connection they maintain with members of their community, especially parents. Reggio is also famous for the interdisciplinary projects that evolve from the children's interests. 

Like the schools in Reggio Emilia, we offer emergent curriculum. Our curriculum reflects the observed interests of our students and sometimes teachers! As we explore emerging topics, we integrate the domains of personal and social development, language and literacy, math, science, social studies and the arts. The Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards are easily addressed and met through this approach. Our approach also allows our staff to support each student individually and in a developmentally appropriate manner.

With a commitment to small class sizes, our dynamic early learning environment also provides a loving, nurturing, and Christian atmosphere. Working in partnership with parents, we focus on the whole child and strive to engender a genuine love of learning in everyone!

How We Document and Evaluate the Children's Work

We discern how and what the children are learning by observing them in the context of their play and our typical daily routines. We record and synthesize our observations through the use of developmental checklists. The process-based learning of the preschoolers are documented in both our classroom environment as well as in individual portfolios. These treasured portfolios are regularly updated, and are accessible to the children and their parents at all times. The portfolios help the children to revisit and reflect on their work, another important element of the Reggio approach.