About Us

Our Philosophy

At the Stephen Wise Early Childhood Center, we believe that children learn by doing. Play is at the heart of the learning process, and through play our children are encouraged to explore their surroundings, interact with their teachers and peers, and work with a wide variety of materials to create, build and experiment. We provide a learning environment that is welcoming, nurturing and stimulating.

Developmentally-Based Programs

Our programs are designed around all forms of a child’s growth and development: physical, emotional, social and cognitive. We take an interdisciplinary approach to learning, where children’s interests are integrated into all areas of the curriculum. For example, a class that is interested in trees might be encouraged to paint pictures of trees they have seen in Central Park, read books about trees that grow in the rainforest, sway like trees in the wind during movement time, plant seedlings in the rooftop garden and cook with fruit that grow on trees.

The Reggio Emilia Approach

Our philosophy of teaching is inspired by the world-renowned schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. Our Director, Assistant Director and many teachers have attended study tours to Italy to learn about this remarkable and innovative approach to education.

Essential to the Reggio philosophy are four components, all of which are emphasized in our classrooms. First, children are viewed as the capable and competent learners that they are. Accordingly, the classroom curriculum grows from the interests and passions of the children, and depending on those interests and passions, a unit of study may take anywhere from a week to several months to explore. Second, the physical environment, which is regarded as the “third teacher,” plays a prominent role in learning. An aesthetically beautiful space, with lots of natural and open-ended materials, provokes both wonder and learning. Third, learning is documented through books and displays containing the children’s own descriptions of their activities and photographs of the children at work. In this way, children may revisit their work to extend their learning, and parents receive a picture of the process of learning. Fourth, children learn in different ways, and as a result, opportunities are provided for children to use the “100 languages of learning” through such varied activities as art, movement, music, block building and dramatic play.

We are privileged to have experienced firsthand the inspiring work of the Reggio Emilia schools and to be able to share their novel approach to education with our ECC community.

JECEI

The Early Childhood Center is proud to work in partnership with the Jewish Early Childhood Education Initiative (JECEI). JECEI is an organization that seeks to engage young children and their families into a rich and meaningful Jewish life. It has worked with schools across the country, to infuse early childhood centers with Jewish values, utilizing the Reggio Emilia approach to education as its vehicle. In May 2010, the ECC became one of the first five JECEI accredited schools nationwide.