Bridges and Beyond offers an intimate preschool setting for children 2-5 years of age. Your child can be part of this exciting and distinctive program! Bridges and Beyond is a dream come true for the the owners Debi & Lori, who each have a professional background in education. A creative summary of many of our philosophies, BRIDGES is also symbolic of the ”connecting of children”. Beyond expectations
Reggio Emilia influence
Inclusive setting
Developmentally appropriate practices
Group-parent volunteer options
Emergent curriculum
Student-teacher "negotiated environment"
Beyond expectations (qualified teachers, smallest groups, play-based focus) Our goal is to offer your child a program that surpasses your expectations. Our teachers have knowledge and experience that will enable them to collaborate in an environment where nurturing, flexibility, and knowledge are key. Our groups will have 6-8 children, which will allow more individualized attention. Reggio Emilia influenced
We honor this approach to teaching, and will reflect many “Reggio” characteristics including: organized and appealing classrooms, areas for mixed-age play, attention to documentation that is then displayed. Your child will be encouraged to use exploration and problem-solving as important avenues of learning, and exemplary opportunities for expression through artistic “languages” such as painting, sculpting, collage, drama, and music. “Reggio” also values projects that are accessible over time, so that children can revisit and rethink ideas. Many Reggio Emilia ideas can be explored at ceep.crc.uiuc.edu under “popular topics”. Looking at other schools under this link is especially interesting! Inclusive setting
An “inclusive setting” presents an environment where children with special needs and their same-age peers are learning together. Experience and research tells us that ALL children learn better in such an environment because closer attention is given to individual potential, and that children learn valuable lessons that will last a lifetime! You can read articles related to inclusion at www.naeyc.org. Children acquire skills at different rates. We will strive to address their needs and engage their interests at the individual child’s level of development. This supports children in reaching their fullest potential. We believe that children learn best through play, and when they feel safe to explore and manipulate. Using developmentally appropriate practices will help to ensure this success! View more information
Group-parent volunteer options
Parents are always welcome in our groups. Furthermore, we encourage parents to volunteer once per month by signing up to assist in a group, but we understand that other children and work schedules may make this difficult. In these cases, we will together find a plan that works for each family, so that you can be involved in some other way. Some options are checking out books at the library or preparing materials for teachers. Emergent curriculum
We will ensure that children are introduced to learning in a way that is non-threatening and fun, because early childhood is a critical period for brain development as well as for literacy development. Teachers will plan together in order to provide learning experiences that will introduce early learning skills, but most importantly, will build upon the interests of the children. We support the use of Read, Play and Learn, a curriculum by Toni Linder, as a framework for planning purposes. Learn more about it at www.readplayandlearn.com. Student-teacher “negotiated environment"
Children thrive when they feel comfortable and confident in their surroundings. Bridges and Beyond aims to be a setting that will allow children to help make decisions that influence their time with us. While we believe that teachers should also guide children, we believe maintaining some control will foster independence and self-esteem.
