Tamara Perez, born and raised in Miami, is welcomed to L’Atelier as the Director of Operations. She is excited for this new educational experience.

Tamara began her career in Early Childhood Education at Bet Breira Preschool in 2006 as an assistant teacher for 2 year olds and soon after became a lead Pre-K 3 teacher. From 2010 to 2016, while working as a teacher she was given the opportunity to work as the Camp Director. Her passion for education led her to return to college and achieve her FCCPC in December 2013, as well as her Directors Credentials, which is also when she became the Director of the Preschool. Tamara obtains an Associates in Arts in Early Childhood Education. When Bet Breira Preschool closed in June 2016, Tamara extended her knowledge and experience as a Director at Smart Starts Day School, and is now a part of our team at L’Atelier.

Amanda Rodriguez was born in New York and was strongly influenced by her family educational background. She obtained a degree in Early Childhood Education and has been teaching since 2004 at various schools where her focus has been to understand children’s diverse styles of learning and the various approaches to education. In 2010, she encountered L' Atelier School. A strong feeling of community invaded her and since then she has had the pleasure of teaching the classes of the Toddlers, 3s and Jr. Kindergarten. Amanda has participated in several professional development initiatives at L’Atelier School, as well as NAREA and Reggio Children national conferences. She participated in the IV Summer Institute in Reggio Emilia, Italy in 2017. In the summer of 2019, she participated in an important professional development initiative in Brazil, in both public and private sectors. In May 2023, she participated in a conference in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

This school year she encounters the Class of the 3s enthusiastically! Expanding together with children, parents and teachers the knowledge of communication and the aspect of relating with both people and materials as a form of expression to re-build and re-construct the image of community following a pandemic

Ana Pineda has been interested in education since a very young age. The desire to enter in the educational field led her into the public system where she found an open door to enter in relationships with families from different socio-economic backgrounds, special rights, potentials, competencies, and talents.

In 2001, Ana joined L’Atelier as a teacher of the different age groups and opened the first kindergarten class of L’Atelier. She has invested in the understanding of how to teach and learn in different ways and has been rediscovering the multiple innate intelligences of children and adults. Ana participated and presented in several professional development initiatives in Miami, South and North America and Europe. She has deeply invested in the study of the Reggio Emilia approach also by participating in the hosting of the two Reggio Emilia Exhibits in Miami.

She has consulted school in Miami and tutored children in the community. The overall experience at L’Atelier for the last 20 years has given her a solid experience about childhood, education, different ages and their processes of learning as they create meaning of life. She is fascinated with the relationship between formal knowledge and the creative ways of thinking and learning. Her wish is always to be inspired by children’s imaginative ways of being and to cultivate curiosity in order to be enthusiastic about living with others and learning with purpose for a connected universe.

Nancy Sparrow was born in Lima, Peru. Since she was a child she has had the opportunity to practice different sports and have a strong passion for gymnastics, swimming, and athletics. She has always had a connection with children and sports.

She first worked at Centro de Educacion Inicial del Ministerio de Pesqueria in Lima, then when she arrived to the United States where she began to work at Diamond Elementary School in Fort Stewart, Georgia as an assistant teacher for their E.S.O.L. program and as a swimming instructor.

She has now been working at L’Atelier School for 17 years. For the majority of the time she has taught in the class of the Young Toddlers and Toddlers. Each year is a different learning experience of knowledge and anecdotes that fulfill her as an educator and as a person. Working in this philosophy has allowed me to see the importance of school in the early years of life. Being exposed to materials, pedagogically organized environments, and being in community is so important for the learning of a young child. Every year I am amazed by the potential of young children and it pushes me as a professional to observe and learn more about their way of being.

Isabel Coles-Elie was born in Port-au- Prince, Haiti. At age 13 she moved to Montreal Canada where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Early childhood Education. Her journey with the Reggio Emilia approach began in 2003 when she joined L’Atelier faculty. As a teacher, she had the opportunity to work with different age groups, acquiring knowledge that she applied in teaching and mentoring. Every new year and experience have brought layers in her journey of understanding children’s style of constructing knowledge and learning. She has attended many different professional development initiatives where she has had the privilege of presenting throughout the United States and participated in two important study groups in Reggio Emilia, Italy. She has also consulted in Miami.

All these professional initiatives offered by the school together with her deep personal desire to continuously study and learn about early childhood education shaped who she is today as a person and as a teacher.

“The Reggio Emilia philosophy becomes more than an approach of teaching and learning; it becomes a set of values of life. The values of collaboration, communication, and relationships are at the base of my experiences in the classroom, and they continue to show me that learning is not separated from life but that they come together in a harmonious way, keeping them together is vital when building the learning process.”

Daniela Perez is originally from Artemisa, Cuba and arrived to Miami two years ago. She graduated from MLMPI Preparatory Academy and is currently studying Early Childhood Education in Miami Dade College. From a young age she has been interested in education because she has always loved the way children think, discover and explore creatively as an innate attitude. This idea has motivated Daniela to continue to move forward with her studies and understand what an important role we have in children’s lives as educators. Daniela believes that teaching children “why” things are done is just as important as educating and explaining the “how”. This is crucial for their development and growth throughout their earliest years.

Leo Chiano was born in Argentina where he worked as a physical education teacher, swimming instructor, and lifeguard for five years. Sports and physical education are a fundamental part of Leo’s life. Soccer, specifically, is one of his passions and a sport that he practices every day. The world of the body, its physical education and health are essential to life. They not only provide physical development but also are a tool to build fundamental values. Some of these values include being part of a team, learning to have respect for the other, and learning the skill of compromise. Leo has been working at L’Atelier for 12 years. He brought to the school the swimming program and subsequently in 2007 he implemented the physical education program. L'Atelier entered into a deeper research of the body and its functioning. In fact, in 2010, the project “Bodyness” was born. It has been a marvelous experience to learn from the children and witness how they express their ideas and concepts through their very own and original Bodyness. Leo admires children’s development and the connections they make in creativity.

A Musician and vocalist that believes in searching the power of inner voice

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