GREDC

Our Image of Childhood

The GREDC Blog

Passero Piazza

Tom Dodd

A key aspect of Reggio schools are their central meeting areas, known as piazzas. It is a place where the whole school can gather but also a space that can be repurposed for individual activities, small or large group experiences, or presentations.

While our piazza might not be as grand as some in Reggio Emilia we have spent a great deal of intentional time transforming it to create a space that we can all enjoy and relax in.

The coffee bar is a project that came about from a former student who would take orders from teachers and then make a morning coffee delivery around the classrooms. The name, “Passero” translates from Italian to “Baby Sparrow” and is our small way of remembering David Wenzel, whose wife, Lori, co-founded Sparrow’s Coffee. His three children all came through GREDC. The eldest, Marian, designed part of the logo, while Viola and Etta drew the portraits of David and Lori that are on display on the wall

Passero sign with portraits

There are books from A Kids Company About, which are all designed for children to enable adults to discuss a variety of difficult topics. Feel free to browse through them, read them with your children, or borrow them if there is a subject that will be beneficial to you and your children.

We invite you to take a moment in your morning to sit down and have a cup of coffee, plan a play date for your children, talk to your child’s teachers, or just relax with other families.

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Tom Dodd

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Infant plays with giraffe toy amidst rope lights.
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Recent Study: Lights

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Lauren Huyck

Mentor Teacher

B.S in psychology and writing
A.A. in early childhood education
Teaching since 2010

My name is Lauren Huyck and I am the afternoon lead for the Scoperta classroom. I started as a teaching assistant when the center was still part of Aquinas in 2010. When we became the GREDC in 2012, I stayed on. In 2014, I was excited to accept the role of lead teacher.

I have a Bachelors in psychology and writing, and an associates in early childhood education. I am currently working on getting a Masters in psychology with a concentration in child development.

I love seeing the children grow and learn. There are so many developmental milestones that I get to see and experience. I fell in love with the Reggio approach and work to incorporate it in all my experiences with children. It has definitely taught me to treat children as citizens of the world.

I honestly could go on about how much I love the work I do and how passionate I feel about every child having quality care but that would take eons. So I will end with these two quotes:

“To take children seriously is to value them for who they are right now rather than adults-in-the-making.”

Alfie Kohn

If you trust play, you will not have to control your child’s development as much. Play will raise the child in ways you can never imagine.

Vince Gowmon