Breakwater’s Early Childhood Program is strongly influenced by the schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. The Reggio Approach requires teachers to observe, document and reflect daily on their interactions with children.

Children in our Preschool program range in age from approximately three years old (or just beyond the developmental stage known as Toddler) to five years old (or until kindergarten readiness has been determined).  Children spend two or three years with the same general grouping of classmates and are taught by the same teachers.

Research in the field of early childhood education indicates there are significant benefits from multi-year teacher-child relationships.  Both continuity of care and teacher-parent-child relationships are strengthened when children remain in the care of the same teachers for multiple years.  Mixed-age grouping in preschool encourages a child’s cognitive problem-solving skills as well as the development of positive social behaviors.  Children are afforded opportunities to practice and learn from cooperative play with peers who may be developmentally more or less advanced.

Our first year preschoolers are in transition from toddlerhood.  In their world they are at the center of everything.  Everything they come into contact with is a learning experience, and at the heart of their learning is play.

By their second year in preschool, our students are old pros at navigating the social and intellectual challenges they face in a structured and creative school program.  Teachers provide developmentally appropriate materials and activities, facilitating and expanding the social and cognitive accomplishments of each child’s prior experience in preschool.

Some characteristics of Breakwater’s Approach to Early Childhood learning:

• Children have strong relationships with one another
• Children are able to express themselves
• Children learn and experience through touching, listening, moving and hearing
• Using dialogue, children are able to practice their interpersonal skills
• Children have a connection to the natural world