OUR APPROACH
Learning That Grows Over Time
At Strata Learning Collective, learning is built over time.
Children revisit ideas, test assumptions, and add complexity as their thinking grows. Understanding deepens through experience, reflection, and collaboration, rather than through rushed outcomes or isolated activities.
Our approach emphasizes curiosity, sustained inquiry, and learning through hands-on exploration. Educators observe closely and design experiences that extend children’s thinking. New questions emerge from what children already know, what they notice, and what their peers are exploring alongside them.
We are steady in our practice and reflective in our growth. This steadiness allows us to honor what works, while remaining responsive to children, families, and the world children are growing into.
Supporting Executive Function Development
Strata prioritizes the development of executive function skills, which research has shown play a critical role in learning, adaptability, and long-term success. These skills develop most rapidly in early childhood and form the foundation for how children engage with challenges, relationships, and new ideas over time.
Rather than teaching executive function skills in isolation, educators design environments and experiences that naturally strengthen them through meaningful, hands-on learning.
What We Mean by Executive Function
Executive function includes three core skill areas that support learning across all ages:
Cognitive Flexibility
The ability to adapt to change, shift perspectives, and approach problems in different ways.
Working Memory
The ability to hold and use information to plan, organize, and solve problems.
Inhibitory Control
The ability to manage attention, impulses, and emotional responses over time.
These skills are strengthened as children plan, persist, collaborate, adapt, and reflect within real learning experiences.
Why Executive Function Matters
Strong executive function skills support:
-
Engagement and persistence
-
Collaboration and problem-solving
-
Emotional awareness and self-regulation
-
Readiness for learning across settings
Strata uses research-informed observation tools to help educators track patterns in executive function development over time and share clear, meaningful insights with families. Technology supports understanding and continuity, without replacing the relationships and hands-on exploration that drive learning.
Educational Influences in Early Learning
Strata’s Early Learning approach is informed by well-established educational philosophies, including Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and movement-based learning.
From Montessori, we draw the importance of purposeful materials, independence, and focused work that allows children to build confidence and persistence. From Reggio Emilia, we take inspiration from inquiry, collaboration, and the belief that children construct understanding through relationships, dialogue, and shared exploration. Movement-based learning supports attention, self-regulation, and whole-child development by recognizing the close connection between physical activity, emotional regulation, and cognitive growth.
These influences help shape environments where children can think deeply, adapt to challenges, and engage meaningfully with their learning, without limiting them to a single model or methodology.
Learning Through Exploration and Collaboration
Children engage with ideas through multiple lenses and forms of expression. Projects evolve as children gather information, test assumptions, and return to questions over time.
Learning experiences often integrate:
-
Observation and investigation
-
Building, testing, and redesign
-
Creative expression and representation
-
Patterning, measurement, and problem-solving
Rather than separating learning into subjects, experiences are designed to connect ideas and deepen understanding.
Learning at Strata is a shared process. Children develop understanding through dialogue, collaboration, and collective problem-solving. Working alongside peers helps children articulate ideas, listen to different perspectives, and refine their thinking.
Independence matters, but it grows best within a community. Through shared work, children build confidence, empathy, flexibility, and communication skills that support success in school and beyond.
The Learning Environment
The environment at Strata is intentionally designed to support thinking.
Children experience Strata as a place where their ideas are taken seriously. They are encouraged to return to questions, notice changes in their thinking, and reflect on what comes next.
Routines provide consistency, while projects offer depth and flexibility.
Educators support learning by:
-
Listening carefully
-
Asking open-ended questions
-
Offering materials that invite experimentation
-
Supporting collaboration and dialogue
-
Helping children reflect on their learning