So Yeon Son (Director )

​So Yeon is a NYS certified teacher for birth to 2nd grade and a progressive early childhood educator. She earned her BA degree in Psychology from New York University. While studying Psychology, she became engrossed in the study of Developmental Psychology and that led her to continue her master’s program in Early Childhood Education in Teachers College, Columbia University. While studying, she discovered a passion for providing children with the opportunity to truly be a child; giving them time to explore, play, wonder, make choices, feel emotions, express ideas and be loved. Her first experience with the Reggio Emilia philosophy was during a graduate program’s internship at the Family Annex, the Reggio-inspired school in NYC. After completing the master’s program, she joined the study group in North America Reggio Emilia Alliance and visited the preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy to see how the original Reggio schools are like. There she discovered the richness of the Reggio Emilia approach, and how the educators enjoyed facilitating open-ended art projects with small groups of children, and how they put their effort to awaken and cultivate each child’s imagination, curiosity, confidence, empathy, and joy. Based on these experiences, her genuine love and passion for the children have been blossomed in her own practice in Little Atelier of Young Children. ​