• “At L’Atelier School, creativity is seen as an innate intelligence, which we believe connects all the diverse ways of learning of human beings. Children achieve their inherent right to reach their potential, happiness and success in our school, developing in collaboration with adults a new culture of childhood and education.”   ©

  • “At L’Atelier School, creativity is seen as an innate intelligence, which we believe connects all the diverse ways of learning of human beings. Children achieve their inherent right to reach their potential, happiness and success in our school, developing in collaboration with adults a new culture of childhood and education.”   ©

  • “At L’Atelier School, creativity is seen as an innate intelligence, which we believe connects all the diverse ways of learning of human beings. Children achieve their inherent right to reach their potential, happiness and success in our school, developing in collaboration with adults a new culture of childhood and education.”   ©

  • “At L’Atelier School, creativity is seen as an innate intelligence, which we believe connects all the diverse ways of learning of human beings. Children achieve their inherent right to reach their potential, happiness and success in our school, developing in collaboration with adults a new culture of childhood and education.”   ©

  • “At L’Atelier School, creativity is seen as an innate intelligence, which we believe connects all the diverse ways of learning of human beings. Children achieve their inherent right to reach their potential, happiness and success in our school, developing in collaboration with adults a new culture of childhood and education.”  ©

  • “At L’Atelier School, creativity is seen as an innate intelligence, which we believe connects all the diverse ways of learning of human beings. Children achieve their inherent right to reach their potential, happiness and success in our school, developing in collaboration with adults a new culture of childhood and education.”  ©

  • “At L’Atelier School, creativity is seen as an innate intelligence, which we believe connects all the diverse ways of learning of human beings. Children achieve their inherent right to reach their potential, happiness and success in our school, developing in collaboration with adults a new culture of childhood and education.”  ©

Learning Theory

Children’s knowledge deserves to be listened to and made visible.

Our Inspiration, Our Commitment, Our Responsibility.

L’Atelier School was conceived in Miami in 1995, from the belief that children are born with an innate creative potential and curiosity to learn. They are eager to understand the world and construct their own theories about how it functions. The educators in Reggio Emilia inspired us to envision a new concept of school. Their strong Image of the Child and their innovative approach to education- renown in the world as the best early childhood approach- proposes to rethink the meaning of the word to educate. It derives from the Latin word "ex-ducere" which offers the concept that knowledge deserves to be brought out instead of filled in.

L’Atelier School develops its unique identity becoming an Atelier with a School inside. Since 1995, the faculty of the school has been researching the meaning and relationship between teaching and learning. A strong and continuous investment in professional development focuses on studying connections between contextual curriculum and creative learning. The pedagogy of listening brings the fundamental values that sustain our work. It becomes the ongoing attitude that takes us to analyze how the construction of knowledge takes place in reference to the different learning styles, the diverse languages of expression, the intelligent environments and the projections and analysis of children’s and adult’s work. Assessment derives from our research and fosters evolution and innovation of our school.

Learning takes place when ideas, concepts and theories are shared in a social context. It is through human relations that all intelligences sprout. The awareness of these diverse styles gives birth to a common conscious creative learning.

At L’Atelier School, creativity is seen as an innate intelligence, which connects all the diverse ways of thinking of human beings. Therefore, it enables them to achieve their inherent right of potential, happiness, and success.

Get to Know Us

Creating a Community of Learners
The School is formed by Children, Teachers and Parents

Meet the School

Welcome by Simonetta Cittadini

Founder and Executive Director of
L'Atelier School and
Center for the Culture of Creativity

Click photo for
Simonetta's Bio

Welcome! Bienvenidos! Benvenuti! Bienvenu! Bem Vindos!


It is my pleasure to introduce you to L'Atelier School in Miami and to the Center for the Culture of Creativity, known as CCC.

As you glance through the images and writings of our experience, we invite you to feel the essence of L’Atelier and the CCC through this media.

We believe it is important to create a new and innovative style of learning and teaching. We made the strong choice to fight for the rights of children and to develop a school where their time is invested in contextual social learning with creativity at the center. A preschool whose mission is deeply connected to its purpose of citizenship, well-being, creative learning and children’s rights. The partnership between the School, the Community, and the CCC invites for a renewed vision of education, a new way of doing school. More and more in today’s world, we believe in the importance of investing in the power of creative learning as an essential element that unlocks potential, sensibility and sensitivity to one self, humanity and the world.

It is up to us!

What a pleasure to have you part of our community!

Warmly,


Simonetta Cittadini

Our Organization

The organization of the school is based on a strong collaboration among the community that forms the school, the children and adults. The school believes in the importance of sharing different points of view through an ongoing exchange of dialogues, resource and values that all belong to a broader concept of organization.

  • L'Atelier School welcomes 82 families from more than 30 different cultures of the world.
  • Children age ranges from 1 to 6 years old and are grouped by age in 5 classrooms from Young Toddlers class to Kindergarten.
  • The cut-off date for placement is September 1st.
  • Young Toddler Class welcomes children 1 to 2 years old by September 1st. (The cut off date may vary in this class according to application.)
  • Toddlers Class welcomes children that are 3 years old by September 1st.
  • Threes Class welcomes children that are 4 years old by September 1st.
  • Junior K Class welcomes children that are 4 years old by September 1st.
  • Kindergarten Class welcomes children that are 5 years old by September 1st.
  • The faculty is composed of 12 members: Directors, Pedagogical Coordinators, Teachers, Co-Teachers, Atelieristas, After School Coordinators, Office Manager and Housekeeper.
  • Each class is staffed by 2 teachers minimum and works in collaboration with the atelieristas of the school.
  • L'Atelier School opening hours are Monday through Friday 8:00am – 6:00pm.
  • L'Atelier School runs from September through May and offers a Summer camp of six weeks in June and July. Check the Annual Calendar.
Admissions

Young Toddlers

Toddlers

Class of 3s

Junior Kindergarten

Kindergarten

Art Atelier • Ballet • Philosophy
Karate • Yoga • Soccer • Jardinería

After School Enrichment Classes


Art Atelier • Ballet • Philosophy
Karate • Yoga • Soccer • Jardinería

After School Enrichment Classes


Art Atelier • Atelier for Babies • Ballet • D-Lab • Food Atelier
Karate • Soccer • Spanish • Theater • Yoga

After School Enrichment Classes


Art Atelier • Ballet • Philosophy
Karate • Yoga • Soccer • Jardinería

After School Enrichment Classes


Art Atelier • Ballet • Philosophy
Karate • Yoga • Soccer • Jardinería

After School Enrichment Classes


Art Atelier • Ballet • Philosophy
Karate • Yoga • Soccer • Jardinería

After School Enrichment Classes


Art Atelier • Ballet • Philosophy
Karate • Yoga • Soccer • Jardinería

After School Enrichment Classes


Meet the Parents

PAL is the Parents Association of L'Atelier

About PAL

PARENTS ASSOCIATION of L’ATELIER, PAL was born in the year 2004 with the intention to strengthen the communication and participation of the parents with and at the school.

PAL is an organization for and about all of the parents of L’Atelier. This means that when you enroll your child in the school you automatically become part of our community.

PAL has a mission to offer different opportunities to children and parents to become part of a community where citizenship, inclusion, participation, learning and communication are strong values.

PAL is about you! What you like and who you are makes PAL unique. Share yourself!

Our strong wish is that all parents find a way to participate at school. There are traditional opportunities to be part of the community by participating in organizing events. However, we invite you to consider what you enjoy doing, your talents and interests and connect with the school in a new way. Inspired by what your child is doing at school, maybe you will think of a way to collaborate with the children and teachers?

The general organization of the PAL takes place at Back to School night and the week that follows.

PAL Committees

Historically, we have organized committees based on the values of Culture, Our School Environment, the Environment and our Earth, Parenting, Fundraising and Celebrations!

Culture

We believe in the importance of bringing Miami’s cultural events to the attention of our school community. As we described earlier, living in a vibrant city experiencing a cultural evolution offers us many possibilities to connect with the many cultures making up the culture of Miami. We invite parents to create awareness of these possibilities in Miami in order to organize field trips and outings or to simply create awareness and visibility at school for children, teachers and parents.

Our School Environment

Through innovation and thinking, we evolve our school's environment to offer the children an environment that is high in quality and full of learning potential. We invite you to collaborate in offering new ideas and possibilities related to our school environment as well as offering your talents and interests in maintaining the environment.

Going Green

Nature and our surroundings are strong protagonists in our daily life. We support parents and children in becoming aware of our environment, the importance of recycling, gardening and taking care of the planet.

Parenting

Other parents often make the best advisors when it comes to parenting topics. We believe in the value of communication and sharing information. We invite parents to collaborate in organizing moments for us to meet to learn and discuss topics related to parenting. Some suggestions include the role of media and its effect on children, the importance of good nutrition, and bringing the Reggio approach into your everyday life.

Fundraising

As we are continuously evolving and innovating at school, we believe in the importance of participation by our school community in raising funds to continue to offer the highest quality to our children in environment, materials, teachers and atelieristas. We invite parents to organize one or two small fundraisers in collaboration with the school.

Events

There are many opportunities to participate in organizing Celebrations at L'Atelier, in big and small ways! We invite you to collaborate with the school and the classrooms in organizing the following Celebrations:

  • Halloween Party
  • Thanksgiving Luncheon Holiday Party
  • Valentine’s Day Celebration
  • Cultural Carnival
  • Book Fair
  • Family Day
  • Faculty Appreciation
  • End of school year Celebration
  • Father’s Day
  • Graduation

Testimonials

"Ulli and I are immensely proud to have schooled our three boys at L'Atelier over ten consecutive years, a period that enriched our lives as much as it our children's."

"We were a L'Atelier family for six years. The amazing team at this incredible school not only provided a safe, stimulating and nurturing environment for my sons, but they made me a better parent as well. "

"L'Atelier's teaching staff is talented, worldly and trained in teaching techniques that are unique, but the greatest asset is the unencumbered love they have for their students, our children. "

"Unafraid to embrace their students, L'Atelier educators instill the confidence in our kids that they need to navigate the first years of school and reach their full potential, a confidence that comes first and foremost from love and affection."

"L'Atelier and the Reggio Emilia approach to teaching sustains and grows the creative light with which all children are born."

"The next time you go to a birthday party of six year olds, you'll find the L'Atelier kids in the back yard building a castle out of branches, lumber and plastic buckets. No clown and party hats needed for that bunch."

Meet the Faculty

We are engaged in studying, understanding and analyzing.

Faculty

Our History

Click on the thumbnails to see a slideshow of the year

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    1995

    Dream

    Birth of and Educational Project --Opening of L’Atelier Art Workshop for Children

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    1997

    Enthusiasm and Vision

    Opening of New Campus in South Miami. Mayor of the city of south Miami plants a tree in occasion of the opening of the school.

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    1998

    Inspiration

    First Winter Institute in Reggio Emilia

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    1999

    First View of “The Hundred Languages of Children Exhibit” from Reggio Emilia, Italy in Wyoming.

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    2000

    Collaboration

    Amelia Gambetti visits L’Atelier for the first time. A strong collaboration is born

    First Expansion of L’Atelier

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    2001

    Exchange

    AStudy Group to Reggio Emilia, connected to the World Forum on Education at Athens Greece. Simonetta Cittadini presents L’Atelier experience in Reggio Emilia

    First Reggio Emilia Summer Institute in Boulder, Colorado

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    2002

    Effort

    Second expansion of L’Atelier School

    CONNECTING NORTH AMERICA

    NAREA is launched at the meeting of the National Association for the education of young children in New York City.

    Simonetta Cittadini - Founding Member of NAREA

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    2003

    NIDO Class opens at L’Atelier

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    2004

    Investment

    Crossing Boundaries International Conference in Reggio Emilia

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    2005

    Celebration with the Community

    Birth of Florida Reggio Collaborative

    Opening of the exhibit The Hundred Languages of Children from Reggio Emilia, Italy

    Tenth Anniversary of L’Atelier

    Pedagogy of listening

    Conference hosted by L’Atelier School at Florida International University

    “ The power of Collaboration” with Carla Rinaldi

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    2006

    Strenghthening Relationships

    L’Atelier invests in evolution. The awareness of our roots launches our school. NAREA at NAEYC

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    2007

    Strenghthening Relationships

    Second Spring Reggio Emilia Conference with Amelia Gambetti NAREA seminar

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    2008

    ENCHANTMENT DETERMINATION AND COMMITMENT

    Fundamental principles” in collaboration with Lella Gandini Lella Gandini at L’Atelier School

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    2009

    ENCHANTMENT DETERMINATION AND COMMITMENT

    Fundamental principles” in collaboration with Lella Gandini Lella Gandini at L’Atelier School

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    2010

    Citizenship

    L’Atelier School has transformed through the years into an Atelier with a School inside, going back to its initial essence. Creativity and Intelligence are strongly linked to our style of working.

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    2011

    THE VALUE OF THE COMMON GOOD

    What role does our school have in front of the society?

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    2012

    THE VALUE OF THE COMMON GOOD

    What role does our school have in front of the society?

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    2013

    IDENTITY AND THE CITY

    Birth of the Project EmpathiCity

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    2014

    INVESTMENT IN THE COMMUNITY

    Collaboration with Centro Cultural Baby Gym , Barranquilla Colombia

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    2015

    20 Yr. Anniversary

    The Florida Reggio Collaborative hosts the Exhibit “The Wonder of Learning”

    Elementary Art project is born

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    2016

    reflection

    Chairs Elementary Art Project

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    2017

    CONTINUE TO DREAM

    L’Atelier opens the Center for the Culture of Creativity.

    Art Couture Art Project

    Summer School in Reggio Emilia

    Opening of the Center for the Culture of Creativity

    With the Collaboration of Amelia Gambetti and Jennifer Azzarriti

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    2018

    SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

    Marrion ART Elementary Art Project

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