Saint Anne's Day School -Reggio Emilia (Buckhead: how much, preschool, shop)

[onederwoman18]

Can anyone give me some feedback on this school? I'm very curious about the Reggio Emilia approach in education but also curious if my child will still have a good chance at getting into a great private school. Does this preschool prepare children well for kindergarten (reading, abc's, numbers). I'm also looking at Cambridge International Preschools in Buckhead and International Preschools in Morningside and Virginia Highland. Although I worry those schools may be too rigorous for a preschooler. I love that they teach foreign languages at such a young age. Anyone have insight on those schools as well? Any other great preschools you can recommend?

[samiwas1]

We tried like hell to get into St. Anne's for our son. No go. There are people there putting their names on the list before they even get pregnant. It's tough to get in, depending on age.

I cannot vouch for them specifically in their curriculum. Our son ended up at Peachtree Presbyterian, and we love it. He's been very happy there, and everyone there has been great. They also follow the Reggio Emilia program.

Most of it is self taught, but our not-yet-3-1/2 year old can count to 99 and is already reading at above a kindergarten level. I don't know how much the school has had an influence on that, but I know it hasn't hurt.

[onederwoman18]

Oh no! oh gosh, now you got me nervous about this whole preschool game. Do you think if I try to get her in sooner, like in the Infant or Toddler day classes that she would have a better chance of being accepted and then work her way up into the preschool? Or do they have to go through another application process again for preschool?

Also, have you been happy with your son going to a Reggio Emilia inspired school? Would you mind sharing with me any pros/cons about it? Thanks for your response, btw! This is all overwhelming!

[AtlJan]

Yes, definitely try for infant/toddler. Also think about joining the church there. That always helps. I am a former St. Annes parent and truly it is one of the best preschools on the face of the planet. I went to a workshop there for teachers and there were literally people from all over the world touring the school. MAGICAL place.

[onederwoman18]

AtlJan

Thank you for your help. Did your child go to private or public after preschool? Was it a smooth transition? What type of school did you try to look for in kindergarten and up? I just want to make sure she has a smooth transition into kindergarten and also not get turned down from possibly a private school if we go that route. I'm still learning about Reggio Emilia. Do you know anything about midtown international school?

[LovelySummer]

Originally Posted by onederwoman18

Can anyone give me some feedback on this school? I'm very curious about the Reggio Emilia approach in education but also curious if my child will still have a good chance at getting into a great private school. Does this preschool prepare children well for kindergarten (reading, abc's, numbers). I'm also looking at Cambridge International Preschools in Buckhead and International Preschools in Morningside and Virginia Highland. Although I worry those schools may be too rigorous for a preschooler. I love that they teach foreign languages at such a young age. Anyone have insight on those schools as well? Any other great preschools you can recommend?

What do you want to know about foreign lang programs in the city? I can comment on those if you like. Are you interested in continuing with foreign language K-12 (for example, do you want your child on the road to fluency) or just having a bit of exposure early on during preschool years. What language? Half day or whole day? Immersion or just a bit of language here and there? How old is your child?

On Reggio Emilio, I studied many different pedagodies (I think that is the word) of early education before we made a decision - I even started an old thread asking about Reggio Emilio a few years ago so you may want to search for that. There are also threads that I started on foreign language. You may want to search for those. I personally think Reggio Emilio is cool for fostering problem solving and thinking generally. You'd have to ask the specific center but my understanding was that Reggio Emilio did not focus on ABCs, 123s as much as some of the more traditional teacher led approaches (Reggio is almost completely student led). Honestly, if you want your child competitive for private, I would go with a school that is more intentional about teaching content that the schools will test on. St. Anne's may help just bc they seem to have a good name in the city. Ask them about their track record with the privates. Some preschools send lots of kids to the privates, some do not have as much of a track record.

[onederwoman18]

LovelySummer,

Thank you for responding to my DM. I'll respond to this as well if anyone else is looking for answers too. For preschool, I am very much interested in the Reggio Emilia approach. It seems a little more nurturing as well as gives opportunities for children to work on projects or activities with other children. If there's foreign language at the preschool that would be a plus but I'm not really looking for that in a preschool really. I've though about taking her to the Spanish academy right now for a few classes just for fun and give her some exposure. I would like to find and k-12 school that starts foreign language early on rather later like in middle school/high school. I saw international preschools teaches foreign and uses various approaches in teaching such as Reggio Emilia. Do you know anything about those schools? I see there's a Cambridge international preschool, international preschools- Morningside and international preschools - Virginia highlands....are these all the same schools?


That's a good idea about asking Saint Anne what private schools their children get into.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by onederwoman18

Oh no! oh gosh, now you got me nervous about this whole preschool game. Do you think if I try to get her in sooner, like in the Infant or Toddler day classes that she would have a better chance of being accepted and then work her way up into the preschool? Or do they have to go through another application process again for preschool?

I think once you're in, you're pretty much in. I don't think you have to fight for a spot every year.

Also, have you been happy with your son going to a Reggio Emilia inspired school? Would you mind sharing with me any pros/cons about it? Thanks for your response, btw! This is all overwhelming!

Honestly, I can't think of any cons. But the pros are that the kids learn by doing stuff that kids want to do. When you're interested in something, you learn. Instead of sitting in a bright primary-colored room repeating letters and numbers, they learn by playing, by doing, by interacting. The classrooms are very subdued, often lit with natural light or lamps instead of bright fluorescent. Instead of generic plastic toys, there are tons of more "natural" options. Every day was a different adventure, maybe going on a nature walk, maybe going on a walk with the therapy dog, maybe going to music class, playing with shadows in the light room, making a snack... I've always believed that school should teach you how to think, not how to memorize facts.