We Value Family Involvement

Community plays a significant role in Reggio-inspired programs. We believe children are vital citizens in the community. They’re seen as contributors and advocates for themselves, meaning children must be seen and heard.

With that in mind, the community must be included in the classroom, bringing real-world knowledge and experiences to share while helping to make student explorations real and relevant. Families within the school are vital partners for teachers and children, thus they are often our greatest advocates and resources for building community connections. There are several ways you can get involved, including:

Summer Camp Connections

Our summer camp Foundation Project—Patterns, Weaving, and Structures—offers multiple opportunities for families to observe, share, and engage with their child(ren) throughout the summer. Seek out your Cottage Director to coordinate a time to make real-life connections between your family experiences and the summer Foundation Project. Some examples of things you can share are:

• Share cultural fabrics, weavings, or quilts that are meaningful to your family.
• Share photos of your home architecture or photos of structures familiar to your child in his/her community. This could be photos of your home, bridges, buildings, or landmarks in your immediate neighborhood or community.
• If you are (or someone you know is) a hobbyist or professional textile weaver, basket weaver, sewer, construction worker, architect, or artist, we welcome an opportunity to collaborate with you.

Family-Teacher Conferences

Family-Teacher Conferences are hosted twice a year. They provide a great opportunity to ask questions and talk with your child’s teacher(s) about their development while reviewing the learning that is taking place in the classroom every day. Here are some questions you may consider:

• In younger classrooms you may want to ask, “What type of play does my child participate in most?” This will give you a better understanding of your child’s social-emotional development as well as the activities that hold their attention the most.
• In older classrooms you may want to ask, “Do you have any work samples of my child’s handwriting?” This gives you the chance to observe the progress they’re making in a kindergarten-readiness skill. It also opens a conversation about how you can help support your child’s learning journey.

During conferences, your teacher will show examples of work your child has completed throughout the year, as well as discuss the successes they’ve seen! It’s a great way to feel connected to the classroom and gain a better understanding of what happens when your child spends their days with us.

We are excited to head into summer and we hope you are too! Building those strong home-school connections along the way will ensure your child’s learning stays on track and supports their overall development.