Art-Focused Preschool to Open in Bayside

Little Atelier of Young Children is an art-focused preschool that follows the Reggio Emilia learning method. The preschool is set to open in Bayside this fall.

Little Atelier of Young Children, an art-focused preschool, is set to open its doors in Bayside for the 2015-2016 school year. The school caters to children ages 2-5, and focuses on providing them with an art-centric curriculum in a beautiful space.

“A beautiful, organized environment is an important characteristic of our school,” says Soyeon Son, director and head teacher of Little Atelier. According to Son, environment is crucial to children’s learning and development at school. “It makes it easier to learn, makes them more comfortable, and allows them to enjoy themselves,” she says. Because of this, Little Atelier prioritizes creating an environment conducive to creativity, expression, and comfort for children.

Environment also ties into the school’s educational philosophy, which hinges on observation. Son says she determines curriculum by observing her students, “watching their play, and listening to their questions,” and coming to understand their individual interests. The curriculum is then created to cater to these interests and explore the typical range of curriculum including math, science, history language, and art.

In addition, Little Atelier is based on the Reggio Emilia approach to learning, in which “children explore their world through movement, painting, coloring, craft, sculpting, shadow playing, collage, imaginative play, and music,” Son says. The pillars of this approach are happiness, creativity, kindness, responsibility, moral values, and friendliness. Children learn these important pillars alongside traditional curriculum.

Little Atelier offers a full-week program, a three-day program, and a two-day program, and runs from 8:30am-4:30pm with extended hours until 6:30pm. Children must apply and be accepted before registration, and Little Atelier is currently accepting applications.

Main photo: The kitchen-themed play space at Little Atelier of Young Children