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Early Years Program

A vibrant and colorful indoor space with various seating areas, shelves, and decorative elements, creating an inviting and engaging environment.

Academia Cotopaxi offers the best Early Years Programs in Ecuador, designed to inspire curiosity, nurture development, and build a strong foundation for future learning.

What sets us apart from other Early Years Programs?

 

Full English Immersion beginning in Pre-K
From age 3, students learn in a rich, full English environment that accelerates language development and prepares them for a global future.

Expert Early Years educators
Our highly trained teachers are specialists in early childhood education—passionate, caring, and deeply committed to nurturing each child’s growth.

A full-day program starting at age 1
Perfect for busy, working families and for those seeking meaningful, high-quality learning experiences in a language-rich and supportive environment.

A community focused on global readiness
Our families value strong English acquisition and know that early immersion gives children an exceptional head start in becoming confident, multilingual learners.

Spaces in our Early Years Program fill quickly.

Register your child now for the current or upcoming school year!

To begin your journey with Academia Cotopaxi, apply now and take the first step toward joining our vibrant learning community.

Our Early Years Program -offered on two campuses in Cumbayá and Monteserrín— is rooted in a Reggio Emilia –inspired philosophy and aligned with the PYP.

Children ages 1 to 4 learn through inquiry, discovery, hands-on experiences, play, and relationships. They move through their day with curiosity and confidence, guided by their own questions and ideas. Our environments are designed to spark wonder, encourage exploration, and invite children to make meaningful connections with the world around them.

Teachers walk beside children as co-learners and guides. They observe deeply, listen with intention, and offer thoughtful provocations that open new paths of thinking. Every child’s voice, identity, and uniqueness are honored. We cultivate a community where children feel seen, valued, and powerful in their learning.


What we believe about how young children learn and grow

Relationships

The image shows a group of young children engaged in an art activity, with an adult supervising them. The children are using various art materials, including paint, to create colorful artworks on a large sheet of paper on the floor. The background features a bright and cheerful classroom setting with toys and other educational materials visible.

We believe young children grow through meaningful relationships, joyful exploration and the shared wonder of discovery.

Potential

A young child wearing an orange hooded sweatshirt is intently focused on drawing with colored markers on a piece of paper, surrounded by a cluttered desk with various art supplies.

We see every child as curious, capable, and full of potential, ready to engage with the world in thoughtful and creative ways.

Environments

A young child, wearing an orange sweater, is sitting on the floor surrounded by various toys and wooden blocks in a cozy, well-lit indoor setting.

Our environments are living, evolving spaces intentionally designed to inspire exploration, wonder, and collaborative learning.

Collaboration

Two young people, a girl and a boy, are engaged in a conversation in what appears to be a classroom or study area. The background includes various items such as chairs, desks, and other classroom-like furnishings.

Teachers observe closely and respond to children’s ideas, co-constructing knowledge through intentional, collaborative interactions.

Learning Approach

We design Inquiry Projects that nurture deep, conceptual learning through hands-on, play-based, and process-driven experiences. Play is the heart of learning. Through intentional play, children discover new ideas, take risks, solve problems, and imagine possibilities.

  • Children connect their ideas to real-world situations, explore solutions, test possibilities, and reflect confidently on their learning journey.
  • Children’s investigations evolve over time, allowing ideas to grow in complexity and depth.
  • Documentation makes learning visible, helping children revisit, reinterpret, and strengthen their thinking.

Signature Experiences

Loris Malaguzzi, the founder of the Reggio Emilia approach, reminds us in The Hundred Languages that “the child has a hundred languages… a hundred ways of thinking, of playing, of speaking.” Guided by this metaphor, our learning experiences honor the many ways children express themselves, explore the world, and make meaning.