Green Trees Early Childhood Village is Officially Open

[FULL STORY]

We are proud to announce that Green Trees Early Childhood Village will welcome its first class of students on August 13. Newman’s new early childhood program will provide a strong educational foundation to generations of children ages six weeks to four years, and will be a high-quality option for New Orleans families with young children. Green Trees is fully enrolled with 155 students, primarily in a five-day program, but also with two-day and three-day options.

Head of School Dale M. Smith and Board of Governors Chair Ann Thompson ’74 cut the ribbon to the facility’s entrance Tuesday evening in a ceremony that included the architects on the project, Waggonner & Ball; the builders, Ryan Gootee General Contractors; parents of Green Trees students; generous donors who made this project possible; and special guests. Smith and Thompson were joined by Elizabeth Elizardi, Director of Green Trees, and Ellen Martinez, Assistant Director for Operations for the ribbon cutting.

 

“Our vision for Green Trees was a national model for early childhood education, and we are thrilled to see that the vision has been fully realized.” said Smith. “The Newman community can be very proud of this state-of-the-art facility, our talented faculty recruited locally and nationally, and the excellent educational leadership we have established here. We are thrilled to welcome the inaugural class of young children to begin learning, playing, exploring, and growing at Green Trees.”

Consistent with Newman’s 112-year tradition of rigorous academics, the Green Trees building houses a sophisticated early childhood program that is at the forefront of educational practice. At the heart of the curriculum for infants through preschoolers is an active learning model supported by positive adult-child interactions, a stimulating environment filled with natural, repurposed, and found materials, and dynamic assessment and observation of each child. The preschool curriculum is further enhanced by an inquiry-based project approach, where teachers and students immerse themselves in investigations and study topics, exploring and representing them in a variety of ways. In addition to fundamental skills, Green Trees features spaces for art, music, and movement, and teachers dedicated exclusively to these subjects. Students who complete the Green Trees program will be well prepared for admission into Newman pre-kindergarten.

The Green Trees faculty will follow a mentorship model, where lead teachers and associate teachers are supported by an instructional coach. Directing the program is Elizabeth Elizardi, a leader in the field of early childhood education.

“The first four years of a child’s life are the most critical for brain development,” Elizardi said, “when young children see everything and develop an awareness of their impact on the world. The responses children receive from caring adults is the beginning of healthy, secure attachment that leads to positive adult outcomes both academically and social-emotionally. This is why we believe in a responsive caregiving model at Green Trees. We hope that Green Trees will lay a strong foundation for lifelong learning. Furthermore, we believe that through collaboration children will learn to be good friends, citizens, and leaders. We will support our youngest Greenies to approach problems with confidence and flexibility. In addition to fundamental skills such as basic literacy and analysis, we also aim to reinforce values such as curiosity, creativity, perseverance, and empathy.”

The opening of Green Trees Early Childhood Village is the product of years of planning and fundraising to build a facility designed from the ground up to serve the needs of our community’s youngest students.

“This has been a journey, and we are grateful to all who have participated in this work and helped Newman attain the goal of offering our community and the City a premier early childhood program,” said Thompson.

The main entrance to Green Trees Early Childhood Village is on Soniat Street. The facility is oriented toward the larger Newman campus, with architectural elements reflecting the Valmont Building, one of the earliest structures at the School. Blending traditional and contemporary architecture, the facility was designed to be a warm and welcoming “village” for early education. Green Trees features 12 classrooms, indoor and outdoor play areas, and flexible spaces for teaching and learning. Capacity is more than double that of the Greenie House, Newman’s prior early childhood program, founded in 1984. The new facility allows for efficient and convenient traffic flow and ample parking.

The name “Green Trees” refers to a wooded playground once located on Newman’s Lower School campus, where the Cotonio Palaestra now stands. This playground was beloved by Lower School students since Newman’s earliest days.