Philosophy

Little Gate is a child centered, play-based early childhood program inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy. We view the child as capable and curious. This naturally leads our children to explore, discover, question, experiment, and construct their own knowledge about the world they live in and their role in it. We encourage children to express themselves in "a hundred languages": painting, singing, pretend play, sculpting, creating, drawing, etc.

Little Gate teacher and student on bikes

Little Gate student making tie dye banner

The curriculum comes from their emerging interests as well as the culture of our community and supports problem-solving, critical thinking, creating, collaboration, community awareness, and communication. Careful attention is given to the environment engaging the children and teachers in the learning process. The culture of each child's community is an asset and adds a uniqueness to each class. The teacher is a facilitator, co-learner, and co-researcher along side the children.

Parents are partners and our open communication between home and school is essential. Parents are encouraged to be involved with classroom activities and school events.