All Over Albany

Center Square School

Project: Center Square School, a children's art camp and preschool program in downtown Albany.

Who: Blair Lambert

Short bio
My name is Blair Lambert and I am a preschool teacher and working artist living in Center Square, Albany. I have taught both the very young and very old and most everyone in between. I've spent the majority of my career in New York City. There I worked as a teacher in family lifestyle clubs, public libraries and arts summer camps. I served as a museum educator at The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum but left this position in order to pursue my true love: early childhood education. I became the founding teacher of a preschool cooperative school in Brooklyn, NY.
After attending graduate school at The Pratt Institute where I studied Art and Design Education, I moved with my husband to Albany, NY. When not teaching, I continue to paint and draw in my home studio, cook ridiculously fattening pies, take naps with my rescue pitbull and practice my mandolin.

In the Spring of 2013 I opened Center Square School a children's art camp and preschool program in downtown Albany. The school hosted a summer art program in which campers explored various artistic media (paint, clay, wood, wire) in the Atelier model. (Atelier modeled studio: each student may address the materials and projects based on their own interests and abilities). During the school year I teach (with the help of my wonderful assistant) a morning preschool program where pre-k skills are paired with artistic experiences.

A description of the proposed project
At Center Square School our mission is to develop an inquiry-based approach to education that fosters creativity, promotes academic excellence, nurtures human relationships and inspires a growing passion for learning.

Every child is strong, capable, independent, curious, and full of imagination. A quality early education program will empower children to think, question, investigate, explore, and help navigate the journey of learning. As a teacher, my mission is to develop and nurture a child's love of learning and sense of social and personal responsibility thorough a curriculum designed to develop the intellectual, spiritual, physical, artistic and academic excellence inherent in each child.
The educational methods employed at Center Square School are deeply influenced by the Reggio Emilia Approach. The Reggio Emilia Approach is based upon the following set of principles:
+ Children must have some control over the direction of their learning;
+ Children must be able to learn through experiences of touching, moving, listening, seeing, and hearing;
+ Children have a relationship with other children and with material items in the world that children must be allowed to explore and
+ Children must have endless ways and opportunities to express themselves.
Our little preschool program is unique. We are one of the only early childhood programs in the area that utilize the Reggio Emilia philosophy and I hope to be able to share this approach with more parents and students.

How would the grant money help?
If Center Square School were awarded this $1,500.00, it would do a great deal to improve the quality of our materials. We use a lot of recycled materials since high quality arts materials (oil pastels, stretched canvas, watercolor papers) are so very expensive. As a very new small business my budget is extremely tight but I do my best to provide the best materials I can. I'd like to be able to provide these high quality materials to my summer campers this year.

For the preschool, I'd like to invest in an Ipad and projector. We spend a lot of time studying the natural world (deep sea, arctic animals, rainforests) and since we can't all climb into a submarine or plane on a Tuesday morning I'd like to be able to have the kids be able to experience videos of real animals in their natural environment. For example an Ipad and projector would enable me to show my students just how big a brown bear is or how and eagle flaps it's wings as it soars.

These teaching materials would make a massive difference in the quality of both our programs.