Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/bringing-reggio-inspired-practices-to-a-young-public-school/5026252/
*Photos can be found in the pdf version of this article.
Inspire Elementary is part of Denver Public Schools, located in Colorado. Part of the DPS Innovation School Program, Inspire launched in 2017 after a two-year design process that included educators, parents, and community members. Our school is grounded in principles of inquiry, student-directed learning, and whole-child development, and serves approximately 500 students.
In 2019, we embarked on a journey to expand from grades K-5, to include a brand new early childhood education program. Previously, early childhood programming in DPS included two curriculum-based options, Tools of the Mind and Creative Curriculum, or else schools could elect to implement a Montessori approach. That year, thanks to advocacy from school leaders, DPS added Reggio Emilia inspired practices to the range of choices. Inspire became one of the first schools in the district to follow this path.
To build our program, the school hired a team of teachers, prioritizing experience and pedagogical training in Reggio inspired practices. Our ECE program would consist of three classrooms with a lead teacher, a paraprofessional, and 16 children. Additionally, we would be directly supported by our head of primary school, who also had experience in Reggio inspired contexts. Finally, DPS collaborated ...