INE celebrates 15 years accompanying Montessori public schools

 
 

Last September, Instituto Nueva Escuela (INE) celebrated its 15th anniversary as a non-profit organization accompanying Montessori public schools in Puerto Rico.

The organization was founded in 2008, but it all started much earlier when the Juan Ponce de León public school in Guaynabo opted for the Montessori educational method, afterwards other public schools began to be interested. That's when teachers from other schools went to Juan Ponce on weekends to learn.

Once Juan Ponce's guides saw that the interest had grown, the other dream was born, an institute to teach teachers the Montessori methodology in Spanish, and that is when the INE was born, being at that time and currently the only center in Puerto Rich accredited by Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE) and the American Montessori Society (AMS).

Since its inception, INE has accompanied public schools in the teacher training process. Then, as the project grew, support for the school community and families was added.

The training began with the Early Childhood courses (3-5 years) and Elementary l (6-9 years), but today the INE offers courses for:

  • Infants and Toddlers

  • Early Childhood

  • Elementary I and II

  • Secondary

  • Directors

  • Montessori Assistants

  • Montessori Philosophy

  • Continuous Education

 
 

In the school transformation service we provide support through:

  • Workshops for the collective and families on Montessori philosophy

  • Special projects such as: gardens, telescopes, volunteers, butterfly gardens, nurseries, music workshops, facilitators, among others

  • Visits to schools

  • employment for 300 Montessori assistants

Just as we serve families by providing free:

  • Psychological services

  • Playful therapies

  • Family therapies

  • Parenting workshops, among other topics

  • Employing… health professionals in schools

What was born out of the need to make the best school for boys, girls and young people, continues to be the reason for the INE's work. This need has given us the opportunity to serve 60 public schools in 29 municipalities and over 16,000 people, including students and parents.

Xavier Rivera