It’s a pleasure to write about our experience at Il Cucciolo Nursery School. I am a single mother of a 2 ½ year old son, Indi, and we are also new to Lucca, so one can imagine my concerns in choosing a part or full time school for my little one.
I first chose to visit the school because of the location near to my work, then after visiting the structure, I was quite impressed with its facilities, the English language center and the teachers. My son’s and my experience here has been nothing other than positive. It’s a big building with two floors. In the daycare center there is a baby play room, an infant play room, a gymnasium with a soft floor, soft walls, soft big objects and a pool of balls, a nap time room, a lunch room, a big bathroom with tiny toilets and another play room.
There is also an outside area with a big yard, bicycles, slides and toy houses. In fact, every time we pass the playground Indi want to stay and play. They don’t overwhelm the children with English language, at least in the nursery school. They make it fun for them. Indi often comes home singing nursery rhymes and classic English songs. I see many pictures of the projects they do; painting, coloring, creating. They even go on outings in Lucca, this year they went to the museum of modern art. Throughout the year I’ve been not only delighted by Indi’s teachers, but extremely impressed. They are affectionate, caring, available, interested in all the children and they really get down on the floor, put themselves in the children’s world and play together.
One of the hardest things for any mother is leaving their baby for most of the day every day,especially in the beginning. The teachers at Il Cucciolo really made it less hard. They hold and comfort the kids when they cry, they talk to them telling them not to worry that Mommy’s coming back and they cuddle them, sing to them, and cheer them up.
The school holds periodical parents meetings about the coming year and projects. Besides the schedule, I’ve seen the teachers and administrators address each and every concern and question the parents have about the school. They are all very available, ready to help and professional about both childcare and education.
This is why I have already enrolled Indi for next year at Il Cucciolo Infant School because I am certain he is safe, learning, comforted and happy.