our mission & philosophy 

At Preschool of the Arts, we believe passionately that learning should be an adventure. A child’s experience is bounded only by his or her imagination and dreams.  Our mission is to offer a vibrant and innovative learning community committed to child-focused exploration, creativity and collaboration.  Our curriculum is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education, which encourages young children and their teachers to explore, question, and discover in a stimulating environment. Children express interests and ideas, research through hands-on investigation, reflect on the experience and form conclusions. Through this process, children develop confidence and independence in the learning process with encouragement from parents, teachers and community members. 

We are inspired by the schools of Reggio Emilia and, thereby, hold the following beliefs:

Our children are…
  • capable researchers who thrive in a negotiated curriculum. We value children’s ability to take part in the learning process.
  • creative communicators who express and develop their thinking in a variety of ways, including artistic media.  We value children’s many languages.
  • social beings embedded within a community. We value opportunities for meaningful collaboration with members of the community. 

Our community consists of…

  • strong children who are at the core of all that we do. We value our children’s continuing adventures and the opportunity they provide for community reflection.
  • experienced teachers who come with a wealth of knowledge and expertise in working with young children.  We value professional development and the implementation of the best current practices in early childhood education.
  • engaged families who are partners in the life of the school.  We value open, continuous communication with our collaborative partners. 
  • the City of Madison, the preschools of Reggio Emilia, and people everywhere who are interested in high-quality educational experiences for young children. We value our role as a place for exploration of early childhood learning and teaching approaches, and strive to share what we learn with others who have common interests in the wellness of all children.

We are comprised of people of diverse abilities, backgrounds, experiences and cultures. We value the differences among all people and welcome their varied contributions to our school. We partner together to support the various needs and learning styles of our children.

Our learning environment…

  • is inviting, inspiring, and safe. We value our physical environment and the role it plays in developing our sense of community, well-being and opportunities for learning.
  • fosters play. We value play as a means of developmentally appropriate learning. Play encourages independence and offers the opportunity to explore in a setting that has been thoughtfully established for this purpose.
  • is connected to the natural world.  We value relationships with the natural environment and the opportunities it offers for extending children’s play, creativity and learning.
  • documents our beliefs. We value our environment as a canvas for documenting ideas, emotions, and development.

As a Reggio-inspired school, we offer an educational experience like no other for many children in our community, including:

  • a custom-made curriculum that respects the interests and ideas of the children
  • the arts as an avenue for developing understanding and expression in a variety of ways
  • a safe, beautiful and inspiring environment that represents the voices of children, teachers and families
  • highly qualified teachers who have experience and expertise in the area of early childhood education and the Reggio philosophy

Research has shown repeatedly that high quality experiences in early childhood education have a long and lasting impact on children, including higher graduation rates, fewer school dropouts, less need for special education and less crime.  Moreover, a child’s earliest experience in school sets the tone for a lifetime of learning and approach to education.  At PSA, we foster not only the skills and knowledge that children need to succeed in life, but we instill the dispositions to be an effective learner – dispositions to be independent, to be creative, to be resilient and to be self-motivated.  These are the dispositions for the making of our future leaders.  It all happens here at Preschool of the Arts.

 

"…a hundred worlds to discover, a hundred worlds to invent, a hundred worlds to dream..."
                                                      ~Loris Malaguzzi, pioneer of the preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy