Throughout the school, there are various opportunities for children to interact. There is a center Piazza, located at the entrance of the school, which is accessible from all classrooms. We have wall-sized windows and unbreakable mirrors placed on the floors, walls and ceilings that establish a space filled with opportunity. Rather than the usual store bought decorations, our school will be decorated with photographs of the children, childrens work, and visually pleasing natural materials, such as plants, seashells, pine cones and pebbles, just to mention a few. The walls throughout the school will be used as spaces for temporary and permanent exhibits of what the children and teachers have created. Each classroom will be equipped with temperature control and low and wide windows to provide childrens visual access to other classrooms. The classrooms will also be connected with tube phones so that the children will be able to communicate with each other if they choose to do so.
Our school also has a kitchen where hot balanced meals will be prepared. Our dining area faces the outdoor playground. In collaboration with the parents, once the school opens, we will begin the process of finding a name for this special place in our school.
The school will serve breakfast, lunch and snacks. A weekly menu will be posted on our website under News as well as in the school. In order to emphasize a stronger sense of community, the teachers will eat lunch with the students. This will provide the children the opportunity to get involved in conversations and activities that build their knowledge of healthy habits.
The playground will be fenced and equipped with state of the art play structures inspired by the parks and preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy that will allow children to create real life situations while exploring their surroundings.
The environment, after all, is "the third teacher" according to Reggio Emilia philosophy.
At La Scuola, children are viewed as strong, rich in potential, powerful, competent, resourceful, curious, and loving. They are encouraged to wonder, explore, and make new relationships that allow them to reach a new level of understanding and development. Our teachers provoke ideas and co-explore the learning experience with the children. They support and encourage children on their learning journey, encouraging them to reflect and to question. Teachers work in partnership with parents, communicating regularly to build mutual understanding and greater consistency for the children.
The Philosophy of our school is based on this strong image of the child. We see the individual child as having rights to quality education. We respect that the child is the co-constructor of knowledge. This means that our curriculum is choreographed by the children's interests and their innate curiosity. We support childrens exploration of their environment as natural researchers, and their need to be interactive learners.
We offer children the environment for learning and the provocation to take another look. Our philosophy combines some of the teachings of the greatest educators of our times- Jean Piaget, John Dewey, Erik Erikson, and Reggio Emilia's Loris Malaguzzi. Our environment is structured so our curriculum is truly child centered which implies that it is both child initiated and teacher facilitated.
We focus on the process of learning in all its intricacies, not just the end result or the product. The learner must be trusted and supported to follow the creative processes without worry of what the finished product may be. At La Scuola, we are dedicated to allowing children the freedom to explore the world at their leisure and at their direction.
La Scuola13301 SW 87 Avenue
Miami, FL 33176
Map305-278-9555
www.LaScuola.com
