85th Preschool Center of Athens, Keramikos.
Biographical Info
Our school consists of one classroom with usually 15-18 children, aged 4 and 5, in a quite deprived central area of Athens. We are sharing the building and the yard with the 86th Elementary School and so there are no playground toys in the yard for our young pupils. We are two permanent kindergarten teachers, Eleni Kourneta and Gregory Kanellopoulos, both with postgraduate degrees, that we have been working together since 2009. The area has many immigrants from the Balkans and China and there is quite a big diversity in children’s socioeconomic background. We have worked on different projects throughout these years and we have tried different teaching methodologies as part of our reflective practice. We have completely reformed the space of the classroom in those 14 years and we have developed a good reputation and quality about the school. One of our basic characteristics is that we are open to the parents and the local community. We have a steady collaboration with the Faculty of Preschool Education (University of Athens) by accepting young future professionals for their practicum. We have cooperated with local NGOs and other organizations to support children in need and to improve the facilities of our school.