Engage Your Child's Curiosity with our Early Childhood Program
Welcome From the Director of Early Childhood and Lower School
Welcome to the Early Childhood program at Stanley Clark! Our innovative, Reggio Emilia-inspired program for children ages 3-5 in preschool and kindergarten honors the creativity and capability of each child in our care. Talented and nurturing educators get to know their students deeply, allowing them to design learning experiences that tap into children’s innate curiosities and interests.
Research has long demonstrated the importance of intentional education during the early years when rapid brain growth occurs. As such, our program actively promotes curiosity, character development, and the joy of learning. Central to a child’s day-to-day experience in our program is engagement with the arts, movement, open exploration, nature, and joyful play. Teachers purposefully embed social and academic skill preparation in students’ learning to ensure they have a solid foundation for success in our Lower School and beyond.
We look forward to partnering with families to ensure every child’s first experience in a classroom setting is joyful and nurturing. Please reach out with any questions (kgoodspeed@stanleyclark.org) or to learn more! I would be delighted to share more about our approach and discuss how our Early Childhood program could be a good fit for your child.
Joyfully,
Dr. Kelly Goodspeed
Director of Early Childhood and Lower School
Director of Curriculum
Reggio Emilia Philosophy
Stanley Clark’s early childhood program incorporates the innovative and unique program of the Reggio Emilia Philosophy, which incorporates all the ideals that we
believe are essential for the development and education of young children. From the careful design and organization of space to the documentation of children's work, conversation and activities, ours is truly a child-centered education.
Early childhood teachers work with the children to create an atmosphere that promotes open-ended, process-oriented discovery and exploration. Our faculty are life-long learners who accompany the children on this journey. They continue to study the Reggio approach and to interpret and apply the Reggio philosophy within our culture and context.
Although they are young, early childhood students are competent and capable of incredibly wonderful creative work when they are presented with sophisticated tools.
Reggio Study in Action
In a Reggio classroom, topics of study are thoughtfully chosen as vehicles for skill development that support academic readiness, creativity, collaboration, and independence. The following video is just one example of what this looks like in our early childhood classrooms, or follow the button below for videos of each of our preschool classroom studies!
Preschool 4-5 Classroom: Reggio Study—Flight
Early Childhood Curriculum
Challenging. Inspiring. Engaging. These are a few words used to describe the unique Stanley Clark curriculum. The academic experience of students is complemented with education in the arts, athletics and character - an empowering combination that results in graduates who lead, volunteer, inspire and excel. Please note that our responsive, adaptive pedagogy and desire to meet students' educational needs may necessitate additions, modifications or deletions to the curriculum midyear.
"From the first time we set foot on campus, we felt drawn to that feeling of family. It is a place where everyone seems to know your name, there is a smile around every corner, artwork fills the hallways, the school’s word of the year is prominently on display, and amidst sounds of teaching and laughter, you get that familiar sense of a home." ~ Jessica Reasons, Current Parent