The Manhattan Schoolhouse
1624 First Avenue
New York, NY 10028
May 29th, 2015
To whom it may concern,
I am currently seeking a teaching position in a toddler or preschool classroom. I recently
learned about your school through personal research of Reggio inspired schools in New York
City. I was excited when I discovered that your school philosophy is inspired by the Reggio
Emilia approach. The Reggio Emilia approach serves as the foundation for my teaching
principles. The statement on your website, “Our curriculum builds upon the interests of children,
revealed and expressed during their talk and play” resonated with me. I am passionate about
providing children with experiences that will help them be the best versions of themselves they
can be. Over the past several years I have enriched my teaching principles by interweaving my
love for the Reggio experience with the Developmental-Interaction Approach.
As a Child Specialist at Columbia University Head Start I have had the opportunity to
work with families of different cultural backgrounds and help parents develop positive, healthy
attachments to their children. It has been quite interesting to understand and embrace the values
of each family while helping them understand and implement effective learning and development
tools.
At Avenues: The World School, I had the opportunity to work with children ages 4-5.
There I, in close and frequent collaboration with my team of teachers, created experiences for
children acquiring Spanish, framed within a Social Studies curriculum. In this program, I have
also had the opportunity to participate in parent-teacher conferences, write developmental reports
and lead Parent Night.
Prior to working at Avenues, I was a student teacher in an infant-toddler room at the
Bank Street Family Center. It was in this program where I honed my experience in the
Developmental-Interaction Approach. Throughout my year there, I gained experience creating an
environment that was developmentally rich and meaningful to children; I also worked in building
a bridge between home and school through home visits, curriculum nights, individual
conferences, and informal conversations with caregivers in the classroom. I also had the
opportunity to work as a one-to-one aide with a child with developmental variations in the same
center.
In my native country, the Dominican Republic, one of my most influential experiences
was my work with children 2-6 in the Reggio Emilia Approach. This first experience set a strong
foundation for my future in education, and became what I hoped to see and live in the classrooms
I would later work at.
While I thoroughly enjoy the work that I am currently doing at the Columbia University
Head Start program, my long-term teaching goal is to work in a warm classroom environment
where all children can succeed, be curious, and develop a sense of wonder.
Thank you for your time and consideration. If I can provide you with additional
information, please feel free to contact me at (718) 316-2920 or stephanie.alberto@gmail.com
Best regards,
Stephanie Alberto