Debra Ward, director of Child Development Center, is making plans with the Italian consultant at Scuole e nidi d’Infanzia Instituziono del Comune di Reggio Emilia to come to Cerritos College to train with students and teachers in child development.

Ward, along with 12 other child development instructors, took a trip last year in March to Reggio Emilia, Italy to explore and research the city and her teaching technique to young children.

Reggio Emilia has obtained an astounding 95 percent in preschool care, whether municipal, national or private to children between 3 and 6.

The people of Reggio Emilia focus on both education and care for the young.  Providing high quality, full-day experiences are considered fundamental.

“We went out and learned about the community of Reggio and how it is essential to the children. Learning about and engaging children in their community was one of the strategies they used,” Ward said.

Taking the children around the campus has been an exercise teachers have used so the children become more aware of their surrounding buildings. 

The staff at the Child Development Center for the past two years has been studying a different approach to teaching children and was inspired by Reggio Emilia.

Being that Cerritos College was established as a laboratory school for students who are seeking an education in child development, investigations of ideas and hypothesis in researching theories has helped further excel the next level for child success.

Teachers and teacher aids have been working together closely with the children at the center.

They have been observing and looking at what children already know, want to know and need to know.

Debra Gonzalez, Ateliscista, also known as Art Teacher, was one of the few who attended the trip to Reggio Emilia.

“After coming back from Italy,” says Gonzalez, “I rearranged my entire working space.”

Working firsthand gave Gonzalez a better understanding to teaching children.

With Cerritos Child Development Center always having a good reputation, Ward expresses her thoughts, “It makes me proud that I can work at this center and to continue the legacy as well as enhance what has been established.”

Through government grants, Cerritos is required to show on going training, going to Italy satisfied those requirements. Hope is high in returning back to Reggio Emilia in 2011.