Our Learning Model

Educational Approach

We share the goal that every parent has for their child: to learn and be successful in school and in life. The educational approach at City Neighbors focuses on teaching for thinking and understanding. Using the State Content Standards as an academic framework, we set high expectations for every child. We believe in a project based learning environment where children can learn more in the process of exploring ideas, making predictions, building models of their ideas, and testing outcomes as they apply their knowledge. In this process we encourage children to be empowered by knowledge and thinking for their own lives and for the good of the community. They also become passionate learners as we engage them in their day to day work.

Educational Approach

Our unique model combines a progressive education with a powerful governance model that relies on meaningful parent involvement, community outreach, and the inspiration of the schools of Reggio Emilia.

smiling elementary school student showing a drawing

What is Arts Integration?

two children drawing people on a black piece of paper

At City Neighbors, teachers use visual arts, music, movement, drama, puppetry, poetry, and storytelling for three purposes.

Through arts integration, students not only develop fundamental skills and understandings in core subject areas, but they develop creativity, confidence, critical thinking, and inference skills.

01.

To help students access and develop skills and content knowledge.

02.

To allow students effective ways to show their learning.

03.

To help students deepen their understanding of the arts. 

Arts Integration is an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both. (from Kennedy Center’s Changing Education Through the Arts)

children sitting at a picnic table drawing

WHAT IS REGGIO EMILIA?

Reggio Emilia is the name given to a teaching style that has evolved in the Northern Italian municipality of Reggio Emilia. Fundamental to this educational philosophy is the perception of children as being strong, intellectually rich, and possessing great potential. In this educational model, the teacher works with children to stimulate and deepen critical thought in a research partnership. In Reggio Emilia, knowledge is seen as something that is socially constructed and should be based on ideas and experiences that are real and meaningful to the child.