Collage Day School

Our approach to education is not only thoughtful and balanced but also developmentally appropriate and based on best learning practices. We blend together a variety of educational approaches to create a program that reflects our commitment to helping children develop a strong foundation for happiness and success. The following attributes will offer your child and family the best experience possible:

• Collage Day School provides a rich integrative curriculum that is personalized to each child.
• Every class is led by a state-certified lead teacher and assistant teacher.
• Lessons focus on teaching children through direct experience and play.
• Our faculty does not follow scripted lesson plans instead, they bring the subject matter to students in a way that is engaging and appropriate for the developmental stage of each student.
• We teach students how to think, not what to think.
• We give children the freedom to work at their own pace, whether moving ahead or spending more time on a specific subject.
• We enhance the wellbeing of the "whole child" through a variety of enrichment classes lead by resource teachers.
• Students learn everything from health and wellness to social skills and creativity through classes that include physical education, art, music, yoga, and more.
• We offer a Gifted Program led by Gifted Endorsed/Certified faculty for parents who seek an advanced curriculum for their children.
• Collage`s 8-acre campus is a beautiful natural learning environment that serves as a "living classroom." It includes trails, gardens, play centers, koi ponds, and an inner courtyard that serves as a common area for the Collage family, offering students many opportunities to move and use their bodies in healthy ways outdoors.

Teachers at Collage Day School employthe Reggio Emilia approach as part of the School`s educational philosophy.Loris Malaguzzi, the founder and director of the renowned municipal preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, developed this philosophy, which is a blend of theory and practice that challenges educators to see children as competent and capable learners in the context of group work.

Malaguzzidefined the environment as the third teacher. The first teacher-the parent-takes on the role of active partner and guide in the education of the child. The second is the classroom teacher. Often working in pairs, the classroom teacher assumes the role of researcher and intentionally engages children in meaningful work and conversation. The third teacher is the environment-a setting designed to be not only functional but also beautiful and reflective of the child`s learning. It is the child`s relationship with a parent, teacher, and environment that ignites learning.

Children construct their own knowledge through a carefully planned curriculum that engages and builds upon the child`s current knowledge, recognizing that knowledge cannot simply be provided for the child. The curriculum, often emergent in nature, is based on the interests of the children. When learning is the product of the child`s guided construction rather than simply the teacher`s transmission and the child`s absorption, learning becomes individualized. Most important, teaching becomes a two-way relationship in which the teacher`s understanding of the child is just as important as the child`s understanding of the teacher. Flexible environments allow teachers to be responsive to the interests of the children, freeing them to construct knowledge together.

Collage Day School incorporates the TimberNook experience into it Health & Wellness Program as partof the school`s primary goal of fostering the growth of whole, well-rounded and happy children who appreciate the natural world, healthy living and well-being. The TimberNook program combines the therapeutic aspects of nature with child development research and experience to create an outdoor program that supports every aspect of the growing child. Each program is uniquely created for the location, provider, and ages of children.

Collage Day School is one of only two schools in the nation that TimberNook has accepted as a provider for its program and the only provider in northeast Florida. Two other TimberNook programs are offered in Miami and Orlando, however, those are not associated with schools.