It is our great pleasure to announce that we will be introducing an Early Years 2 (EY2) program beginning August 2024, extending International Schoool of Beijing (ISB)’s educational offering to children from the age of 2.
The decision to introduce the EY2 program, which will be open to children aged 2 by August 31, marks yet another proud milestone in our history of over 40 years. The EY2 program is designed to serve our existing families and new ISB families who may need support for their younger learners. EY2 will follow our early years philosophy and provide a platform to welcome our youngest Dragons.
ISB’s Early Years program is intentionally designed to allow the children to guide the learning process. Teachers use the pedagogy of listening and the environment as the third teacher, to ensure that learning is personalized, joyful, and challenging.
Get to know ISB’s new EY2 Program Teacher, Erica Livy, and how the EY2 program will continue to provide challenging and joyful learning to our youngest Dragons!
Meet Erica Livy, currently one of ISB’s EY3 Dual Language Teachers. From August, she will be the lead teacher for the school’s new EY2 program.
Originally from Australia, Erica moved to Beijing six years ago, with a master’s degree in early childhood leadership. She has 15 years of experience in early childhood education, both as a teacher and administrator. Although this year is her first at ISB, she says her arrival at the school “felt like coming home” and that this is the place where she was “meant to be” and one where she feels an “overwhelming sense of belonging.”
Sitting down with Erica in March, a few months ahead of the launch of the program, she expressed her excitement for EY2. As with our EY3 learning program, EY2 will continue to follow ISB’s early years learning philosophy, under which we foster a sense of curiosity, creativity, and wonder through play-based learning and inquiry. Starting at the youngest age, we value our students’ agency, social-emotional intelligence and well-being, as we believe children learn best in an environment where they feel respected, valued, and loved. This trust is built by our amazing EY teachers and will continue with the EY2 program.
Our Early Years learning philosophy is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach. ISB is committed to this approach and the personal development of our faculty members, so much so that Erica and other EY members visited Italy in 2023 to learn more about the Reggio Emilia approach.
Furthermore, our world-class facilities and wealth of resources ensure we provide a sense of belonging for every student. Our EY learners are comfortable in the classroom and see themselves represented in the learning spaces, through visuals (e.g. books, posters) and activities (e.g. cultural cooking and celebrations) and more. Students have the freedom to explore and engage in play-based, child-directed learning in a variety of dedicated EY learning spaces, including flexible indoor classrooms, a secret garden, and an indoor sand pit.
Erica cannot wait for our youngest Dragons to experience the challenging and joyful learning that takes place at ISB. Specifically, in EY2, she will work with students on their fine and gross motor skills, with integrated movement, art, and music classes. She also looks forward to supporting and developing the students’ social relationships, and as always, work to find ways for the children to express themselves, to make sure every child is “seen, valued, and heard.”
We welcome you to learn more about our Early Years 2 program through this FAQ document.
You can also learn more by speaking with our Elementary School administrators or Admissions Office. We hope you share our enthusiasm for this new era of learning and encourage you to apply by clicking “here“.
Images: International School of Beijing
