Kindergarten

Accredited Nursery
Certified Italian and Bilingual Infant School
Certified Primary School

Educational
excellence in the
heart of the city
since 1973

Welcome to
Kindergarten!
DEAR FAMILIES,
We would like to welcome you to our
school, which caters to children
straight through a united path of
education from 12 months to 12
years in two sections of Accredited
Nursery (Miro and Matisse), six
sections of Certified Infant School
(Klimt, Picasso, Van Gogh and
internazional sections Mondrian,
Pollock, Kandinsky), and Certified
Primary School (Elementary).

Our school prides itself in

celebrating 40 years of tradition:
thanks to the constant updating of
educational content and methods as

well as regular professional

development of our sta, we are
able to oer families a high quality
educational environment. Creativity,
experimentation, openness to
innovation, careful training of
educators and teachers, and passion
are all elements that make
Kindergarten an innovative,
dynamic, independent school.

Mario Amulfi
Headmaster

Hours of operation
Kindergarten School is open from September
1st until June 30th for all children (Nursery,
Infant and Primary School).
School days are from 7:30 18:00, Monday to
Friday. Children may be brought to school and
picked up within this timeframe, with
flexibility.
School activities begin at 9:00 for the Nursery
School and Infant School, and Primary School
activities commence at 8:30.

School spaces
Along with the excellence of the institute, Kindergarten oers
beautiful and ample spaces, which extend for over 1400 square
metres, including a spacious outdoor play areas with a tennis court
and a tree-lined play area. The spaces are well-equipped for all age
groups.
The institute has two locations, both a short walk from the historic
city centre:
The Central Location (2 sections of Nursery, 3 sections of Infant
School and the Primary School) has two entrances one which
may be entered on foot at Via S. Gallo 105, and the second located
at Viale S. Lavagnini 11 with ample parking space for vehicles.
International Infant School (3 sections) located at Via B. Lupi 8, a
short walk from the central location.
Since 2012 Kindergarten also operates the Nursery Menarini Baby,
at via Marchetti 7, Florence.

"Thank
you for all
the attention that
you have towards
our children!
A wonderful
school"

The parents of a girl in 2nd class at the celebration of the

40th anniversary of Kindergarten (March 2013)

Our services
The Kindergarten oers many services for the needs of families and children, with guarantees
of safety and reliability.
Before school (from 7.30 to 8.30) and after school (from 16.30 to 18)
Ample parking inside the school grounds
School kitchen
Tree-lined playground, tennis court and a large gym
Medical assistance

Canteen
Lunch served at Kindergarten is prepared directly in our school kitchen, following 100% of
the "Regional Guidelines for School Catering" declared by the region of Tuscany. The menu
includes organic products without GMOs and processed trans fats.

Optional Activities
Within the school there are numerous optional activities made available in collaboration with
sport and musical associations.
MUSIC:
Kinderpiano: piano lessons for individuals or small groups
Saxophone, Clarinet and Flute: individual or small group lessons
SPORT:
Psychomotor in collaboration with the Associazione Sportiva Country Calcio.
Basket-football in collaboration with the Associazione Sportiva Country Calcio.
Tennis in collaboration with the Associazione Sportiva Country Calcio.
Swimming (at the Tropos pool) in collaboration with the Associazione Sportiva Country
Calcio.
Dance Prep, Dance, Gymnastics, in collaboration with l'Associazione Fantasia Accademia
Danza.
LANGUAGES:
Sing in English
Play in English
German

Our strengths
40 years of educational
experience and child-centred
education

English Every day: an hour a day

of English at Nursery and
Primary School

Bilingual sections of Italian and

English at Nursery school

Theatrical and musical

performance for all elementary
classes

Educational visits and trips

throughout the year and yearend trip (from a half a day up to
3 days)

Italian tutors outside of class

time for children who are nonnative speakers of Italian

Flexible schedule: before school

hours from 7.30 to 8.30 and
after school hours from 16.30 to
18.00

School 2.0: the use of

Multimedia Whiteboards and
iPads for students in Primary
School, screens displayed in the
school for parents of the
Nursery and Infant school to see
photos and videos of children's
activities

Individualized acceptance
programs for the children of the
Nursery school

Optional afternoon activities

within the school

Integrated Path 0-6

At Kindergarten we have a
Nursery and Infant School which
together are part of the new
integrated educational
program from ages 0-6 years,
helping to form a single
homogeneous service for
students, which looks towards a
more coherent, holistic
developmental experience for
each child from the age of 12
months through school age.

In this integrated course of

development we oer children
and families an open
educational atmosphere with
mutual exchange and
assistance in communication
between school and families,
which aims to achieve significant
milestones for each child in the
processes of developing an
identity, autonomy, competence,
a view of global and social
responsibility as well as
personal harmony.

Our school establishes its

curriculum and activities upon
some basic principles:
The value of play as a
primary resource for learning
and emotional relationship;

Free exploration and the

perspective that every child is
an active protagonist in their
learning, constantly engaged
in interchanges with peers,
adults, objects, and activities
that intrigue them;
Mediated instruction as a
tool to guide and support
development;
Knowledge of the
communicative ways of each
individual child to respond to
their specific needs and verify
valid educational plans to
support learning.

Particular attention is given to

the shift from a familiar context
well known to the child, to a
dierent one children should
familiarize themselves with to

ensure continuity and gradual

integration and continuity
between various forms of
reference for the child.

Another key principle of the 0-6

path is the formation and
training of educators. Educators
regularly participate in meetings
for professional development in
order to plan, organize, and
evaluate the performance of
educational activities as a whole.

NURSERY SCHOOL
With a wide variety of activities oered,
combined with the presence of skilled and
motivated educators, the Nursery always
appreciates the input of families in order to
create an open, innovative program with
constant prospects of expanding on all that
it already oers.
The school and its structure are recognized
and certified by the Municipal Authorities
of the City of Florence.

Mixed Groups
Our Nursery is divided into two parallel sections:
Joan Miro and Henry Matisse, for children
aged 12-36 months.
The mixed age group favours imitative
behaviours of the younger and the protection
and help from the older children.
A suitable space and structure allows for the
splitting of children into small groups, allowing
for age-appropriate groupings in learning
activities.
In times of arrival, transitions, eating, and sleep,
all groups interact together and take advantage
of the mixed age learning possibilities.

A childs way towards

indipendence
The educational function of the adult is not so
much to transmit specific, pre-made lessons as
learning content, but rather to assist the child in
organizing their experiences in a rich and
varied manner.
Beginning from Nursery, the journey of
educational growth and autonomy continues
into their following years at school. Autonomy is
not a goal to be achieved immediately, but a skill
to be acquired through enriching processes,
leading to the maturity of the present child and
the student of the future.

A time for
everything
A day in Nursery consists of precise patterns
related to the physiological needs to the child,
and by actions that are consistent each day.
With the acclimatization of Nursery, children
become accustomed to the varying moments
of their day: the morning routines, those in
the canteen, personal hygiene, and of play.

The activities and

spaces of the Nursery
One important part of the activities in the Nursery is
geared towards experiencing the natural, artistic
senses of children, bringing them closer to nature
and art through modes of free, spontaneous
creation and manipulation. These are experiences
of great importance in the cognitive and emotional
development of early childhood.
Reproductions of paintings by Miro and Matisse
have been placed in the two sections of the Nursery.
The organization of space in a Nursery is very
important for cognitive and motor development of
children. For this reason, the areas of the Nursery
are organized into centre environments (for
example, the Soft Area, Construction Centre,
Kitchen/House Centre, Costume Centre, Animals,
Discovery Centre, Water Tub Centre) where toys and
objects are within childrens reach, so that they can
choose for themselves which materials to play with
alongside their peers as they explore together.
To make the environment feel more relaxing and
welcoming, natural colours and materials have
been selected, taking the place of plastic and
artificial materials as much as possible in both the
indoor and outdoor play areas.

INFANT SCHOOL
The goals of the Infant School, aimed at children aged 3-5, are to
promote the development of identity (building a positive selfimage), autonomy (engaging in relationships with others,
participating in activities in dierent contexts, the understanding
of their potential and the expression of their feelings), competence
(the desire to discover, learn, design and invent), and citizenship
(discovery of others, of their needs, the need to manage dierences
and contrasts through shared rules) so that the child grows up in a
harmonized and serene manner.
At Kindergarten we value a continuous curriculum from the
Infant School to the Primary School, for a common working
methodology that is applied to all learning disciplines.
Objectives are pursued through the organization of daily
environments, relationships, and the learning from highly
qualified, professional teachers with the continuous and open
dialogue between school and families.
Learning objectives are articulated through educational play
activities, exploratory, manipulative, communicative, psychomotor,
and relational discovery. The learning environment is carefully
organized by the teachers so that the children feel recognized,
supported and valued.
The school is organized into 3 sections: the first two, called Klimt
and Picasso, cater to children from 3-4 years old (mixed sections),
while the third, the Van Gogh section is specifically for children
who are 5 years old and is structured to be in line with the
methods, schedules and learning styles of those in the Primary
School in order to prepare them for their next educational step.
The choice to have mixed sections arises from research of positive
interactions with boys and girls of dierent ages, within a safe
environment, while at the same time stimulating in the older
children high levels of reinforcement of skills and abilities and a
sense of responsibility and in the younger ones capacities to
emulate and tend to greater autonomy.

10

One school, many projects

The educational activities of the
Infant School are structured
around numerous curricular
projects, where children work in
subgroups.
Project English Everyday: Our
institute is extremely proud of
this program which involves one
hour of English every day for
children aged 3-4 years and
bilingual sections for 5 year old
children (50% Italian and 50%
English with mother-tongue
teachers). Children learn the
language through engaging and
stimulating teaching approaches
consisting of songs, rhymes,
games, stories and action games.
Courses are taught by specialist
teachers with the presence of
interns from various American
universities.
Settling-in period: the child
learns to trust and rely on
teachers within the new
environment.

Music: one hour per week with

specialist teachers. Lesson
activities are very active and
incorporate all the senses.
Physical Education: at least 2
hours per week where children
learn to control their own bodies
through activities teaching crucial
motor skills such as the proper
use of hand-eye coordination,
and also learning how to relate to
systems of rules and regulations.
Art: children experience the
discovery and use of new
techniques and materials to
express their feelings and their
own imagination, produce and
recreate images, and create their
own original pieces. Art projects
also aim at the development of
observational skills and
understanding of reality.

school, and about services,

monuments and businesses in
their community.
Knowledge of emotions:
children learn to live positively
with their emotions and how to
manage the ways in which
emotions aect their
relationships with peers, teachers,
and school sta.
Promotion of Literacy: each
week the children take home a
book to read with the family.
They can use the book as an
instrument to build relationship,
gain knowledge, and develop a
love for reading from an early
age.

Knowledge of local area: 5 year

old children learn to know the
zone in which they live and go to

10

Infant School
International section
Kindergarten school welcomed
the International Section of the
Infant School in September 2013
which serves children who are
three, four, and five years old.
This new section is the result of
many experiences accumulated
over 40 years of Kindergarten and
of the openness to innovation
that has always characterized our
school.
Like the other sections of the
Infant School at Kindergarten,
groups of the international
section are also named after

12

painters: Mondrian, Pollock and

Kandinsky.
BILINGUAL ENGLISH-ITALIAN
OR ENGLISH MONOLINGUAL
SECTIONS
When families enroll they can opt
for:
- a module of teaching bilingually
in Italian and English, which
includes the use of the English
language for 50% of all
educational activities. The
teaching is provided by native
speakers (half English and half
Italian)
- a module of monolingual

English teaching, which provides

the exclusive use of English for all
academic activities. Teachers are
all native speakers of English.
EDUCATIONAL METHODS
The learning of a foreign
language typically comes easier
and more naturally for children
during early childhood years.
Learning any language is a
spontaneous process
generated by the need to
communicate and repetition of
sounds and familiar words.

Preschool aged children learn

through the integrated use of the
senses, which allow them to
explore and interact with the
world around them, by seeing,
smelling, hearing, tasting and
manipulating it.
In Infant School, where the use of
images, play and experimentation
are the principal teaching
methods, we maximize the use of
these interactions within the
environment and paired with the
use of all sensory channels with
dierent types of activities to
activate the unconscious
processes of assimilation of
syntactic and phonetic structures.

The inclusion of the second

language in the context of early
childhood promotes greater
mental flexibility, enhancing
interpersonal relationships for the
individual child and their family
of origin.

The International Section is

located at via Bonifacio Lupi 8, a
short walking distance from the
main school location.

to Friday, from September 1st to

June 30th, with the same
flexibility in pick up and drop o
times.
For those families who are
interested there are programs in
July involving activities in the
English language.
It is also possible in the
International Section to
participate in optional
extracurricular activities during
the after school hours from
15:00-18:00.

The hours of operation are the

same as those of the central
location: 7:30-18:00 from Monday

12

P R I MARY
S CH O OL
Since Kindergarten Schools
beginnings, it has benefited
from the long experience of
Professor Mario Amulfi who
launched and set the schools
methodological points of view.
The professor, in addition to
having served for many years as
School Headmaster, has
overseen the production of
hundreds of important
educational texts by major
publishing houses.

It is crucial in primary school that students are provided with solid

foundations that will lead them on a smoother path for the duration
of the studies.
Kindergarten is a school founded on tradition, because it oers
students a solid cultural base and preparation in all disciplines. It is
also a school open to innovation, from the use of multimedia
whiteboards, iPads, to embracing foreign language instruction,
artistic projects, sports, and more.
Our school has always sought to achieve these objectives; as
witnessed high level of learning achieved by our students.
Our teaching methods take into account the abilities of the
classroom teachers as well as those who lead afternoon workshops.
Activities are well organized within the scholastic schedule, providing
moments of study, interdisciplinary research, and also creative
moments with art, music, and theatre. These activities are paralleled
by sports and leisure activities which contribute to personal
achievement in the area of gross-motor development as well as other
important objectives.
The student learns gradually not only through school tasks and
completing homework, but also by participating in school field trips
where they practice life skills such as the organizing of personal
space, time, and belongings.

English every day

In 2013 we initiated a new rule: one hour of
English per day in elementary school to
provide constant and natural language
acquisition. This is a major change in the
curriculum that invests in not only the
quantity but also the quality of teaching.
Our methodology seeks to take advantage of
the tender age of children, when it is an ideal
time to activate the unconscious processes of
assimilation of syntactic and phonetic
structures of language without focusing on
simple memorization of vocabulary. This is
done with the presence of native English
teachers and interns from various American
universities.

Educare 2.0
Kindergarten participates in a project
promoted by the Ministry of Education
called Educare 2.0 (Education 2.0), which
introduces the use of information
technology tools to students, teachers and
families.
Since the 2012-13 school year the school
has used:
Kit Lim, consisting of interactive
whiteboards, computers and projectors
iPad Tablet for each child
Wireless network
Computer Room with a computer for
each child

14

Theatre and
musical
performances
All primary classes put on theatrical and
musical performances for families during the
school year, according to a thirty-year tradition
of Kindergarten.
The scripts of the performances are mostly
related to areas of study, such as history and
geography. The dramatization contributes a lot
to deepen the contents studied: students
step into the role of a historical character,
allowing them to experience firsthand the
story as the protagonist themselves.

School hours
The school is open five days a
week from Monday to Friday,
8.30-16.00, with a break from
13.00 to 14.00 for lunch and free
play.
The morning hours (8:30 to
13:00) are entrusted to the
classroom teacher, who has the
role of coordinating activities
for the whole group and has
the task of teaching the basic
subjects: Italian, Maths, History,
Geography and Science.
This lesson schedule is free from
interruptions, to allow for the
learning of core subjects.
The afternoon timetable
(between the hours 14:00 to
16:00) consists of concentrated
expressive and creative activities:
painting, theatre, musical and

15

physical education.
The afternoon also involves
lessons in the English language,
Catholicism and multicultural
studies.

All afternoon activities are

designed as educational
workshops, lead by specialist
teachers.

Thank
you Professor,
Mrs. Irma and all the
teachers and
instructors who teach
me something new
every day!
Giordana, 3 elementare

Workshops and
projects in primary
school
Information Technology: the use of computers
today is fundamental in work and social sectors of
life. As a school "capable of future" we have
introduced an hour a week of computer classroom
equipped with 29 computers, available from year 1
onward.
Musical Education and Performing Arts:
Kindergarten school has stood out for years of
experience with highest quality in singing, flute and
acting. At year end, the children are experiment with
a classical work, using a specially written or adapted
script.
Physical Education: activities and games (free or
guided) are oered as a key to self-knowledge,
where children learn how to compete with each
other as in the real world, share excitement and
action, and the acceptance of the rules.
Catholic Religion-Multicultural Project: one hour
per week of the Catholic religion or multicultural
workshop, based on the project "Cultural Diversity:
Religions and Cultures in Dialogue."
Florence and the Arts: various educational trips
throughout the year allow for the knowledge and
exploration of Florence and the surrounding area in
order to appreciate and understand the importance
and value of its artistic, historical, monumental and
urban development.
Social Responsibility: students are involved in
building their own rules of the class and the school
community. This allows them to gradually develop
as a student-citizen with a sense of belonging to a
community.
Promotion of Reading: like we do at the Infant
School, we favour an approach to reading in a
pleasant and stimulating way, teaching autonomy
and the range of choice to children, a respect for
books and orderly management of the school
library.

16

Discovering the city

Several cultural field trips (guided historical and
artistic tours, theatre and musical performances,
visits to museums, cultural workshops, farm visits
and other numerous excursions of various
kinds) are planned throughout the school year in
accordance with the curriculum.
It is also part of Kindergarten tradition to partake
in a wonderful year-end school trip lasting
from one to three days, depending on the class,
to discover the extraordinary historical and
cultural wonders of Italy.

Extracurricular
activities
There are many after-school
extracurricular activities that children
can join which take place within the
school between 16:00-18:00, run by
associations that collaborate with
Kindergarten. Some of the diverse
cultural and sporting activities available
are: Sing in English, Play and Learn,
German Language, Saxophone, Clarinet,
and Flute, Dance, Gymnastics, SoccerBasketball, and Tennis.

17

Educating freedom and

responsibility
The Kindergarten has enhanced the education of
social responsibilities, rights and freedoms,
which seeks to increase a childs confidence in
living together with others and respecting
common rules.
To this end, we foreshadow and implement a
path founded on these key moments:
children start coexistence through integration
with their peers in the classroom, through
team sports, theatrical and musical
performances, in research, and during school
trips;

Congratulations!
Nice school,
welcoming and
rrrgood!

students become accustomed to detecting

problematic situations in interpersonal
relationships and learn to discuss them
together while expressing their own opinions,
without rejecting those of others
find and create solutions to problems as a
unified group, agreeing on shared strategies.
In these ways, the teaching of rights and
freedoms also becomes the education of
responsible choice.

The parents of a child in the Infant School,

at the celebration for the 40th anniversary
of Kindergarten (March 2013)

18

School office
From 8:30 to 17:00, Monday to
Friday, the school secretary is
available to families for all schoolfamily related communication and
for the organization of curricular
and extracurricular activities of the
children.

School - Family relationship

Our school is characterized as an open school where the dialogue between parents and teachers must
be cultivated and nurtured day by day, sharing news that fosters attitudes of curiosity on the part of
families for educational aspects, and also for routines such as daily lunch, sleep and so on.
To encourage the sharing of education and a good integration between school and home, Kindergarten
oers educational meetings for parents of children in Nursery, Infant, and Primary School (Elementary).
Since 2013, the school has had screens on display for parents of the Nursery and Infant Schools to see
photos and videos of the day's activities of children.

19

Why Kindergarten
Our school regularly involves families in order to verify the level of satisfaction
with the services we oer (with a satisfaction questionnaire and /or through
other means).
The results of the surveys are published on our website, in hard copy, and are
made visible in the school.
In 2013, responding to the question "why did you choose the Kindergarten?"
83% of households responded they chose Kindergarten for the quality of
teaching and services.

12%
5%
42%

quality teaching
quality services
cost valute
other

41%

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Where we are

Opening hours
The Kindergarten is open from September 1 to June 30 for all sections (Nursery, Infant
School, International Infant School, and Primary School).
Hours of operation are from 7.30 to 18.00, Monday to Friday. Children may be dropped o
and picked up at any time within this time period, with flexibility.
School activities begin at 9:00 for the Nursery and Infant School, and 8:30 for the Primary
School.

Come and visit us!

Please feel free make an appointment with us for a visit at the facility at Via S. Gall 105 from
Monday to Friday from 10.30 to 13.00 (by appointment only).

21

A) Kindergarten - Car entrance:

Viale Lavagnini 11
B) Kindergarten - Walk-in
entrance: Via S.Gallo 105
C) Kindergarten - Infant school International section: Via B. Lupi 8

Notes

22

Kindergarten
Via S. Gallo, 105
V.le Spartaco Lavagnini, 11
50129 - Firenze - Italy
Tel. +39.055.495061
E-mail: info@kindergarten.it
Sito: www.kindergarten.it