Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie-Pierre Nicoletti.
Hi Marie-Pierre, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and grew up in a small town in the French Alps, in a French and Italian bi-cultural family. I spent the school year in France and the summer months in Northern Italy, in our family summerhouse by Lake Maggiore. By the age of ten, upon returning from our summer break, I specifically remember becoming conscious of belonging to two cultures. I realized that one can get to a same or similar end result walking different paths and operating in different ways throughout the process. This revelation planted a seed of lifelong curiosity and research for understanding differences. On a larger scale, it defined choice and freedom as the cornerstones of my path in life.
After graduating college with a BA in both “Applied Foreign language for International Business” in English and Italian and “Italian Language and Civilization”, I moved to Paris to attend a Fashion School to study Pattern Making and Clothing Construction. Once I graduated, I entered the house of fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto as a trilingual marketing assistant and eventually became a brand manager for the Italian market export.
In late 1990, I traveled to Boulder, CO, for a 6-month sabbatical that eventually resulted in a permanent relocation. Ten years later, in December 2000, I founded The Language of Food, a culinary and cultural program that simultaneously taught children and adults alike traditional and regional French cooking and French language.
With the same “Practical French” philosophy in mind, in 2008, I created the French Immersion Summer Camp. I saw this as a way to give the children of Boulder and surrounding areas a French environment in which hearing and learning French would develop a curiosity for languages and an attraction to other cultures.
In 2010 came French After-School, a program for the children at the Boulder Valley School District, where we taught French via arts and music as a way to instill the tools to pursue their passion of French language and culture in middle school and high school. Many of the children I taught in elementary schools graduated high school with the Seal of Biliteracy. I realized that beginning French classes when young helped develop and ability to pursue language instruction later.
My love of working with children lead me to further my education in Early Childhood Education in 2011 and get my Early Childhood Director Qualification requirements in August 2014. A year later, I opened Blossom Bilingual Preschool in Boulder, CO, to serve families of children aged 2 to 5 years. My goal was to introduce children to French language and culture at an early age and to pass on everything I had learned since I was little, when cooking, arts and crafts, music, singing, and handwork held a big part on the map of education.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This journey has not been a smooth road to say the least, but a very diverse and enriching path both personally and professionally. Because I came to Boulder for a six-month sabbatical, I had made specific plans for my return but not for an extended stay that eventually became permanent. The goal of my sabbatical was to return to Paris fluent in spoken English and to be ready to apply to my next favorite Japanese designer house Issey Miyake.
I did not experience any insurmountable difficulties adjusting to my new situation; on the contrary I embraced my environment and made every effort to learn and appreciate my new culture and language. The difficulties were figuring out a new professional avenue that matched my education and personal interests. That was challenging.
Everything that would have been valued in France regarding my professional experience did not resonate so much in Boulder in the early 90’s. I do believe that my experience would have been more readily valued had I arrived more recently, as we are now at a time in which cultures and experiences are perhaps more globalized and universal.
As you know, we’re big fans of Blossom Bilingual Preschool. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Blossom Bilingual Preschool offers an integrated play and nature-based curriculum tailored to the different stages of emotional and physical development of the children in our care. Each day we welcome children ages 2 to 5 years old.
We are a Waldorf inspired and French bilingual preschool and will develop into an International preschool starting May 1st, 2022. Blossom Bilingual Preschool was created over the past 20 years. We introduce the children to a new language and a new culture in practical situations, all situations that are part of their everyday life. The Waldorf pedagogy is a strong influence in everything we do including: The notice of seasons and their multi-cultural relevance, including holidays and celebrations, respect for all aspects of our children’s development, providing a scaffold for them for their three years of preschool. Everything we do is meticulously thought out, researched and individually tailored to the children in our care.
We are the only preschool that introduces French language on a daily basis as an integrated part of the curriculum. French preschool classic song repertoires are taught during our 3-year program.
Blossom is known for our cooking and baking activities, the quality handwork we create with the children, and our play performances. These activities are an integral part of the curriculum each week. Our daily rhythm instills independence and creativity.
Blossom puts a strong emphasis on modeling conflict resolution and offering tools to resolve such situations. Sociability is at the heart of our program. If Blossom had a middle name, it would be togetherness.
Blossom is also known for serving home-cooked meals twice a day and for using exclusively organic ingredients, sourced locally for the most part and for serving Indian Peaks spring water only.
Blossom is known for its multilingual international staff who inform everything we do with their diverse backgrounds. That empowers us to enrich the lives of our children and embody our mission of diversity and commitment to offering a broad horizon of cultural experiences.
Blossom is moving to a new location in May 2022 in South Boulder and will become Blossom International Preschool to better reflect the international component Blossom has emphasized during the past seven years. We will have a capacity of 25 children. Blossom has served so many families from all around the world in our relatively short existence.
This experience has encouraged us to expand our language and cultural mission to a more global perspective. We will continue to honor and celebrate diversity and inclusion through our new expanded curriculum and invite families to actively participate in sharing their cultures to enrich and expand the perspectives of each of us at Blossom International Preschool and our extended community.
What matters most to you?
What matters to me in my profession is teaching the children in my programs as much practical work as I can before they walk out of our school and head to Kindergarten. I emphasize handwork and aural learning, as well as developing the senses versus delivering purely academic materials. I do believe in instilling a strong sense of self and supporting their curiosity and their desire to explore, to learn and to experiment with confidence. A well emotional and socially prepared child will do wonders for years to come.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@blossombilingualpreschool.com
- Website: www.blossominternationalpreschool.com
- Instagram: blossom_bilingual_preschool
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mpnicoletti/about
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Food_Language
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/mpnicoletti/_saved/
Image Credits
All photos are taken by myself, Marie-Pierre Nicoletti for Blossom Bilingual Preschool
