Early Education Leaders
Many individuals have set the stage for the La Petite Academy philosophy and curriculum. As educators, we are inspired and guided by the ideas of early childhood education experts, both contemporary and historical. Here are a few educational pioneers whose time-tested philosophies are reflected in the La Petite Academy program:
Johann Pestalozzi (1746 - 1827) is the father of modern-day preschool and elementary education. His writings, while over 200 years old, still inspire educators in the 21st century. Pestalozzi's idea that children learn to think independently was revolutionary. He recognized the individuality of each child - and saw this individuality as positive and good. Pestalozzi was the first to advocate for the formal training of teachers for young children.
La Petite Academy highly values Associate education and our lesson plans are designed to promote independent thinking.
Friedrich Froebel is known as the "father of the modern day kindergarten." He saw the family as the root of education, and believed that children are inherently filled with curiosity and energy. An important aspect of his educational philosophy was self-initiation and control by the child, which he saw as important for progress. He brought nature into early childhood education, largely based on his own experiences of observing nature as a child.
Self-initiation is built into the Learning and Activity Centers in the La Petite Academy classroom. Children choose their own activities and enjoy appropriate independence. Nature is frequently included in the planned activities of our curriculum. And teachers always encourage young children to notice things when they are outside or just looking out the windows.
Maria Montessori, an Italian pediatrician, is given credit for the idea of "developmentally appropriate" education. She was one of the first who realized that there are windows of opportunity when children are particularly receptive to certain types of learning and advancement in their own development.
Many of the successful features of a Montessori preschool program are included in our curriculum. Children learn the purpose or function of different objects in the real world and are taught many practical and self-help skills. With two-year-olds, for example, there is a window of opportunity with regard to the tremendous growth of language skills, and the maturing of a child's sense of self, independence, and relationship with others (both adults and children). Our two-year-old curriculum is built around that window of opportunity. Montessori strongly believed in the value of the prepared environment, a concept that La Petite Academy wholeheartedly endorses as well.
Rudolf Steiner (1861 - 1925) is the founder of the Waldorf School movement. He wrote extensively about the "essence" that each child has, and was one of the first who encouraged teaching to strengths.
This emphasis on the positive, and allowing children to develop along their individual pathways, with many ways to be successful in their own right, is reinforced throughout the La Petite Academy curriculum. Even when children are assessed to measure their progress, teachers are encouraged to record observations in areas of particular interest or strength of each child. Waldorf Schools typically offer many natural objects for children to play with, and seek to create a homelike atmosphere. La Petite Academy operates with that same philosophy. We also involve the children in movement, dance, and poetry, because - as Steiner well recognized - they are so enjoyable and educational.