In 2011, Jessica Pinto and Nita Yeung founded La Piazza Academy, motivated by a vision to provide high quality education and innovative programming for young children. Although their background was in finance, both decided to embark on this journey upon the birth of their daughters, Valeria and Christie. Since that time, La Piazza Academy has been their main focus and passion. They were inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, the Social Constructivist theory as well as Miami’s multi-lingual community. Jessica and Nita took care to implement a creative and emergent school curriculum including “green” school practices and a multi-lingual language program (Spanish, English and Mandarin).

La Piazza Academy officially opened its doors on June 13, 2012 after a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Mayor of Coral Gables, Jim Cason, and an exciting, interactive, and well-visited Open House. La Piazza Academy’s first class had an enrollment of 15 students, including their own children and Mayor Cason’s grandchildren. Soon after, La Piazza Academy embarked on a journey of welcoming children and families into our school, making La Piazza Academy their second home away from home.

Since opening our doors, La Piazza Academy has experienced exponential growth: we are now at capacity with nearly 100 students currently enrolled and a long waiting list. We are in the process of opening a second location as we are trying to meet the demand for this level of quality education in our community. This feat could not be accomplished without the support of our families, staff, and of course, our children. We are closer and closer to our goal of furthering our reputation as the best school for early childhood education in the world.