The Many Faces
of Preschool
Philosophies of Early
Childhood Education
 By
Dixie Jordan
© 2001-5 by Parents' Press
Illustration © 2001 Artville LLC
Looking for a preschool can be
confusing, especially the first time around. Here is a quick
introduction to some of the philosophies and terms you are likely
to encounter during your search.
Montessori - Reggio
Emilia - Waldorf - Developmental
Bank Street
- Parent Co-ops
High/Scope
- Head Start - Academic
Play-Based,
Child-Centered - Religious
Foreign
Language - Miscellaneous
Montessori
Maria Montessori, an Italian
physician and educator, developed her innovative ideas on teaching
young children in the early part of the 20th century. Today,
many preschools (and elementary schools) still bear her name
and follow the "Montessori method."
This philosophy emphasizes the
individual child's initiative and independence, allowing him
or her to progress through an orderly series of structured learning
activities at his own pace. Special materials which emphasize
the use of all the senses in learning are employed. (The "manipulatives"
that are used in many preschools and elementary schools today
owe a debt to these Montessori materials.)
To a visitor, a Montessori setting
may seem remarkably calm and quiet for a preschool, and the children
poised and self-assured.
Montessori teachers receive specialized training; usually two
trained teachers are assigned to each classroom.
Montessori schools and their
staff members may be affiliated with any of several professional
organizations.
 The Association of Montessori Internationale
(AMI) is the oldest of these groups and adheres to the traditional
Montessori program most closely.
The American Montessori Society (AMS)
has incorporated more recent materials and methods into the programs.
The International Montessori Council
also has a large number of member schools and publishes the magazine
Tomorrow's Child.
Be aware that since the word
"Montessori" is not trademarked, anyone can use it.
Nearly every good-sized community
in the Bay Area has at least one Montessori preschool.
Association Montessori Internationale
(AMI)
AMI/USA
410 Alexander St.
Rochester, NY 14607-1028
Phone: (800) 872-2643, (716) 461-5920
http://www.montessori-ami.org/ami.htm
American Montessori Society
281 Park Ave. South, 6th floor
New York, NY 10010-6102
Phone: (212) 358-1250
http://www.amshq.org/
International Montessori Council
Montessori Foundation
17808 October Ct.
Rockville, MD 20855
Phone: (800) 655-5843, (301) 840-9231.
http://www.montessori.org/
The Montessori Method by Maria Montessori, J. Hunt, contributor,
Schocken Books, paperback reissue, 1989, $14.
Reggio Emilia
Like Montessori, this relatively
new preschool philosophy originated in Italy. This whole-child
system of early childhood education emphasizes art, creativity,
and the child's environment and interests.
Reggio Emilia has intrigued many
educators in the United States, although there are few wholly
Reggio-style preschools here. In the Bay Area, The Old Firehouse
Schools in Lafayette and Mill Valley and several preschools operated
by the San Francisco Jewish Community Center are influenced by
the Reggio Emilia philosophy.
L'Atelier, 5960
S.W. 71st St., South Miami, Fla. (305) 662-2326 or www.latelier.org.
The Hundred Languages
of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach, Advanced Reflections,
second edition, edited by Carolyn P. Edwards, Lella Gandini,
and George E. Forman, Ablex Publishing Corporation, $39.50 paperback.
Waldorf
The Waldorf program is based
on the principles developed by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian scientist
and educator. It emphasizes developing the chilld's intellectual
powers in harmony with the feeling and active aspects of his
nature.
Waldorf programs (preschool through
high school) usually include much creative activity in their
programs, and the use of natural materials in the classroom is
stressed. Teachers receive specialized training and often remain
with the same group of children for several years.
There are Waldorf-affiliated
preschools in Sacramento, Davis, El Sobrante, San Rafael, San
Francisco, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Los Altos.
Assn. of Waldorf Schools of North
America
3911 Bannister Rd.
Fair Oaks, CA 95628
Phone: (916) 961-0927
http://www.awsna.org/
Developmental
Also known as "developmentally
appropriate," this is the underlying philosophy of many
perhaps most preschools today.
Children are encouraged to learn
through activities that are appropriate to their ages and individual
stages of development. Kids can usually choose among several
activities and can play alone or in small groups, while the whole
group often comes together for songs, stories, or other "circle
time" activities. Rote learning, worksheets, and early reading
are not part of the program (although many reading readiness
skills may be learned informally).
Today, kindergartens have become
more academic and less just an introduction to the classroom.
As a result, many developmental preschools feel parental pressure
to "prep" children, and some have added more structured
academics for pre-kindergarteners.
Developmental preschools are
widespread in the Bay Area.
Bank
Street
Say "Bank Street" and
educators are likely to think "preschool education."
New York's Bank Street College of Education has been a leader
in early childhood education for more than 80 years, emphasizing
a child-centered, developmental approach and learning through
experience.
Bank Street College
610 West 112th St.
New York, NY 10025-1898
http://www.bnkst.edu/
Parent
Co-Ops
The history of parent participation
preschools dates back to 1915, and these hands-on programs remain
as popular as ever. Schools are structured as nonprofit cooperatives
and usually hire an early childhood professional to direct the
proram. Parents are required to work regularly in the classroom
and at a variety of other tasks, from building maintenance to
preparing snacks. Co-op programs are normally part-time.
You can read more about co-op
preschools in "Working
Together: Is a Co-Op Prechool Right for You?"
California Council of Parent
Participation Nursery Schools, Inc.
http://www.ccppns.org/
Play-Based,
Child-Centered
These terms don't necessarily
mean "unstructured." Some early childhood educators
use one or the other to mean a developmental approach.
High/Scope
The High/Scope Foundation is
a nonprofit research and training organization founded in 1970.
Its detailed program was originally used for teaching preschool-age
children from low-income families, but today is found in other
settings as well. It stresses learning through "active involvement
with people, materials, events, and ideas."
High/Scope Foundation
600 North River St.
Ypsilanti, MI 48198-2898
Phone: (734) 485-2000
http://www.highscope.org/
Head
Start
Preschool is only part of the federally funded Head Start child
development program. Programs are free and designed to serve
low-income children and their families. Head Start is found in
virtually all urban areas and in many suburban and rural communities
as well. Local programs are administered by many different private,
public, and non-profit agencies.
Academic
Academic programs stress serious
preparation for elementary school, with early reading or formal
reading readiness activities, an introduction to pencil-and-paper
mathematics, and a general air of studiousness. The preschool
day is quite structured, often with separate times for "work"
Religious
Many preschools are sponsored
by churches, synagogues, and other religious organizations. They
may incorporate much religious training or very little, and may
follow one of the other preschool philosophies outlined here.
It is important, of course, to have teachers who are trained
in early childhood education as well as religious tenets.
Foreign
Language
Bay Area residents can choose
among many languages for preschool. There are programs that introduce
or teach in Japanese, French, Spanish, Swedish, Chinese, and
many other other languages. Some programs, like La Casita Bilingüe
Montessori in Pinole, combine a language with another specific
preschool approach. Sunshine Preschool in Berkeley enrolls deaf
and hearing children, using both English and sign language.
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