"Learning and teaching should not stand on opposite banks and just watch the river flow by; instead, they should embark together on a journey down the water. Through an active, reciprocal exchange, teaching can strengthen learning and how to learn."
Loris Malaguzzi
ABOUT US
Foothill is a female-owned, Reggio Emilia inspired preschool located in the heart of downtown Lafayette, Colorado. We serve families with children ages 2.5-6 years of age with low ratios and professional educators. Our philosophy and vision for early education is rooted in our core belief that children are competent and capable young citizens of our community, deserving of respect and freedom to explore their curiosities. Foothill Preschool has been proudly partnering with families since 2018 to make a difference in the lives of our youngest learners.
"The true strength in our classroom lies in the collaboration of learners, not in the knowledge of one expert."
Unknown
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Our philosophy to education values a fun and nurturing environment that balances education with individual growth and development. A lot of our philosophy is inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach to Education, which originated in Italy after WW2 by pedagogist Loris Malaguzzi and parents in the nearby villages. The Reggio philosophy is an understanding that children develop their personality during the formative early years of development, and that each child has "a hundred languages", through which they express their ideas. (Wikipedia). “Influenced by this belief, the child is beheld as beautiful, powerful, competent, creative, curious, and full of potential and ambitious desires."(Hewitt, Valarie (2001).
Your child is unique and special, and they have the rest of their lives to learn math and geography. That is why we believe early education should focus primarily on social emotional learning and development. We help children learn how to advocate for themselves, name and tame their feelings, develop friendships, set and respect each other's boundaries, and collaborate with their peers. Our teachers develop relationships built on trust with each child in order to create a safe space for the child to express themselves authentically. In doing so, we are developing fundamental skills that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
"Teachers trust themselves to respond appropriately to children's ideas and interests, they trust children to be interested in things worth knowing about, and they trust parents to be informed and productive members of a cooperative educational team. The result is an atmosphere of community and collaboration that is developmentally appropriate for adults and children alike."
Rebecca New
OUR VISION
We view students as protagonists in their learning and co-constructors of knowledge with peers, teachers, and parents. In Reggio Emilia, Italy, parents are viewed as the child's first teacher, while educators are their second, and the classroom environment is the third. We agree wholeheartedly, which is why we strive to maintain a close relationship with each family in our program. When parents, teachers, and therapists all work together with the child's best interest at heart, wonderful partnerships filled with trust and compassion can be created.
We are here to guide the development and education of young children, but we are also here to support the caregivers and families as much as we can. That is why we partner with an Occupational Therapist, Speech Language Pathologist, and Mental Health Specialist onsite and weekly. We are an inclusion preschool program, meaning we do not shy away from neurodiverse behaviors or diagnoses. We meet each child exactly where they are at. To support our educators, we have close professional partnerships with therapists, as well as ongoing professional development trainings.
Our priority is to guide each child as they develop into a well-rounded, secure, confident person with a strong sense of self. We aim to teach independence, collaboration, and social emotional education first and foremost. We empower children through play-based learning and creative exploration. While we do not adhere to a strict academic curriculum, we naturally weave these learning opportunities into our daily experiences. Our teachers are constantly observing and documenting what the students are interested in and what they are talking about with their peers. This is how we plan our projects and investigations to guide our daily learning. Students are co-constructors of their learning and curriculum; meaning teachers and students work in a lateral relationship opposed to a hierarchical one. Through this approach, we build a strong foundation of lifelong skills, preparing children for Kindergarten and beyond!
