a place for thinking
A Reggio-inspired program views children as capable, curious, and active citizens within the community. There are 3 key aspects to the Reggio Emilia approach that we focus on at SSOCC:
The 100 languages of children
Social Emotional Learning
The Environment as the Third Teacher
The 100 languages of children
The 100 languages of children reminds us that children learn and communicate in many ways—not just through words. When we recognize and support these different ways of expressing ideas, we support deeper learning and understanding.
The Environment as Teacher
In a Reggio-inspired program, the environment is thoughtfully designed to support learning. Classrooms and shared spaces are arranged to invite curiosity, independence, collaboration, and calm focus. Materials are accessible, purposeful, and chosen to encourage exploration rather than direct instruction. When children are allowed to freely explore the classroom, a well thought-out classroom becomes a teacher, simply in the richness and organization of the environment.
Social Emotional Learning
The Reggio Emilia approach views children as capable, competent members of their community. SSOCC programs recognize that meaningful participation in a community depends on having many ways to communicate, connect, and collaborate.
Our curriculum is intentionally designed to support the development of essential social-emotional learning skills, including perspective-taking, emotional recognition and expression, social problem-solving, and executive functioning.
While this is not a traditional, content-based curriculum, research consistently shows that strong social-emotional skills are foundational to academic success, regular school attendance, positive mental health, healthy relationships, and long-term well-being.
