Environment

The school environment plays an essential role in Reggio inspired practice, so much so that the guiding philosophy considers the environment to be “the third teacher”. We believe that environment matters as it sets the tone for its inhabitants’ dispositions and actions. MAPCDS teachers thoughtfully arrange the classroom with the children in mind. Our spaces are uncluttered and organized, leaving room for the imagination and for children to reinvent and create as makes sense for their particular investigation. Furniture and materials are arranged to promote each child’s sense of agency and to guide them naturally towards independence. Some areas of the room invite collaboration while others provide quieter, private time for individual thought and reflection. The spaces encourage exploration, communication and connection.

Each day here, children explore intriguing objects of beauty, including an array of artifacts from nature. The use of natural materials, especially in an urban environment such as ours, strengthens children’s relationship with the natural world and fosters stewardship.

We include repurposed everyday objects as well – loose parts – for children to transform and incorporate into their work, inspiring creativity and problem-solving. These thoughtfully selected materials stir the senses, stimulate the mind, and speak to children’s inborn sense of wonder. They spur children towards active discovery and hold their attention as they delve deeply into their interests.

Our values are reflected throughout the school’s engaging spaces. Classrooms represent the children, parents and teachers who learn here. Family books with photographs and drawings of each child’s home life are on display and always accessible for comfort or sharing. Samplings of children’s work and pictures of their creative process are on the walls, as part of the documentation mindfully prepared by teachers to make children’s learning visible to themselves and to the community at large.