Our Approach to Learning

Accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and inspired by the schools of Reggio Emilia, Pinnacle Presbyterian Preschool is dedicated to enriching the lives of preschool children in our community and to providing a foundation of positive values centered on Christian faith.

At the heart of our philosophy are the values we hold for children. Curriculum happens all day, in every routine, every action, and every interaction. To best support young children at their developmental stage, Conscious Discipline is utilized for emotional intelligence as a part of our social-emotional curriculum. We want children’s time here to be characterized by:

Intentional Learning Environments are designed for children to be engaged and active participants as they expand their knowledge.

Purposeful work times, in which children’s questions are investigated, ideas are pursued, and where understandings, emotions, and explorations serve as the foundation for our curriculum
Unlimited opportunities, and with substantial adult support, enable children to form rewarding relationships with each other, creating a community shaped by playfulness, inquiry, and affection.
Christian values that are not just studied, but lived. Children are met on their level, and teachers show through their own example Christ’s way of love, acceptance, and forgiveness.
Open-ended opportunities both in the classroom and Atelier for children to represent their theories, experiences, and feelings using media and materials that allow them to create through making, shaping, taking apart, and recreating.
Opportunities for children to get messy and dive into sensory exploration in both indoor and outdoor environments.
Open invitations for children to be strong and powerful in their bodies, engaging in physical play and risk-taking.
Adults function as co-researchers alongside children. Children’s learning, observations, inquiries, and hypotheses are documented in individual learning portfolios following the Arizona Early Learning Standards.

Articles

Click here to download the article written by Pinnacle Presbyterian Preschool's Atelierista, Melanie Akins, and Kelsey Vasquez, Director of Educational Practices, and published in the quarterly edition of Innovations in Early Education: The International Reggio Emilia Exchange