La Piazza Academy is the Blueprint for a Successful School Franchise

Nov 8, 2022 | News

When it comes to the education of children, La Piazza Academy school franchise prioritizes two things.

The first is teaching children how to become the best versions of themselves, not by learning how to memorize facts but by training their young minds how to think. We do this through project-based learning (PBL), which actively engages students in real-world concepts that challenge them to find solutions to multi-faceted problems.

The second priority of La Piazza Academy school franchises is the teaching methods used to help children become the world’s changemakers and leaders. It’s part of the Reggio Emilia Educational Philosophy, which approaches education from the belief that children are full of wonder and curiosity to learn. Our teaching methods are designed to capture that drive to understand and know the world around them and how it relates to them.

What is Project-Based Learning in a School Franchise?

Project-based learning is just one of the four core principles of the La Piazza Academy school franchise system that makes us a stand-out educational program for our students and their families.

Our teachers build projects for their students to engage in over a period of time—sometimes a week or two, and sometimes a month or longer. During these projects, students work on solving real-word problems or answer complex questions.

Students learn by layering in greater complexities and developing skills in real-time, building toward a final presentation that delivers their solution or product for a real audience.

The result is a deeply developed content of knowledge, creativity, critical thinking skills, collaborative effort, and communication practice that will only improve with every project the students complete.

The more engaged they become in the projects, the more contagious their appetite is for learning, for solving problems, and for working together with their peers and teachers.

Examples of successful projects in PBL curriculums are building tiny houses, fixing up a city park, planting a school garden, creating an environmental stewardship initiative, creating a business, or filming a documentary.

The La Piazza Academy Reggio Emilia Philosophy

As part of the La Piazza Academy school franchise philosophy, we believe in progressive, non-traditional, project-based learning with an emphasis on the socio-emotional well-being of children. This stems from the Reggio Emilia Educational Philosophy.

Reggio Emilia is not a person, but a town in Italy, where the parents believed a new way of teaching children was required after World War II. Their approach emphasized the wonder and curiosity of children, allowing them to explore and discover their world in a rich, supportive environment.

There are 3 pillars to this philosophy: the child, the environment, and the teacher.

The Child

The student themselves is not simply a being waiting to be filled with knowledge. They are a unique individual with interests, curiosities, and wonder of their own. They are central to their own learning, and have their particular ways of thinking, exploring, and playing.

The Reggio Emilia approach encourages the child to explore every tool they have to express themselves.

The Environment

An open and free-flowing environment in a Reggio-inspired learning philosophy enables uninterrupted play, learning, and curiosity. The outdoors are just as valuable as the classroom.

A space’s design should give the students the freedom of movement between the two to enable uninterrupted exploration.

The Teacher

The job of the teacher is to observe rather than direct. Children must be given room to experiment, make mistakes, and explore new solutions. The teacher’s role is to guide students toward the areas that most interest and fulfill them, which are best known through observation.

Benefits of the Reggio Emilia Approach to the La Piazza Academy School Franchise

Problem Solving

Through the combination of PBL and the Reggio Emilia Approach, students are immersed in opportunities that provide real-life problem solving to navigate with their peers, and they’re given the leeway to explore their creative thinking skills.

Children are allowed not only to ask questions about the project, but they’re allowed to second-guess the solutions, introducing further what-if scenarios to continually improve the eventual outcome for the best possible answers at the conclusion of the project.

These thought-provoking exercises help them identify new angles in thinking and strengthen their confidence in their own abilities to problem solve.

Encouragement

Students are encouraged by their peers and teachers alike to be active “researchers” in the project. Not only are the projects designed to pique the children’s curiosity, but the social nature of the project builds community with their peers and the project’s intended audience. This positive reinforcement encourages the students’ enthusiasm for learning.

Exploration

Through the Reggio Approach, students are encouraged to get creative with their ideas. Through millennia, a number of innovators—artists, philosophers, scientists, inventors, free-thinkers—have said differences in thought patterns and learning that are expressed through drawing, music, sculpting, movement, painting, drama, dance, and more have shaped society and built whole civilizations as we know them today.

Giving students room to explore is critical to making it possible for them to think freely and grow the confidence necessary to voice those thoughts to others, follow their ideas, and become future leaders and changemakers.

The Story Behind the La Piazza Academy School Franchise

In 2011, Jessica Pinto and Nita Yeung founded La Piazza Academy to create an academic environment that centers young students in a unique and forward-thinking learning space.

They created the La Piazza Academy school franchise model to give investors the chance to spread that learning methodology to more students and their families so others could be inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy and project-based learning systems.

The blend of high-quality education, social constructivist theories, a multilingual community, innovative programming, and a progressive education philosophy makes La Piazza Academy a school franchise unlike any other.

The La Piazza Academy Investment Opportunity

La Piazza Academy is also an investment opportunity unlike any other.

Not only does the Academy’s purpose-driven mission make a difference in the world, it drives the brand in an industry that is ripe for change.

Parents are thirsty for the best education for their children. When they find La Piazza Academy’s curriculum and record of excellence, they’re impressed and eager to become part of the community that La Piazza Academy has inspired.

La Piazza Academy is recognized as a pioneer in progressive education, with its team-based approach to leadership, its family-like atmosphere, and community focus.

We’re proud to have been recognized or accredited by the following organizations:

  • The North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA)
  • Accredited Professional Preschool Learning Environment (APPLE)
  • The Florida Gold Seal
  • The Chinese Language Teachers Association (CLTA)

When Jessica and Nita first began, they didn’t set out with a blueprint for how to franchise a school. They’ve partnered with franchising experts to develop a model that builds a school franchise from the beginning that supports franchise owners and sets each La Piazza Academy on a path designed to help children, their parents, and franchise owners alike flourish.

Seeing children who are engaged with learning, their environment, and their peers is a special moment, but it’s one we believe children should experience every day. We’re seeking investors who agree, and who are interested in making our vision for La Piazza Academy school franchises a reality in more locations around the US. If this sounds like you, contact us today!