About
Welcome to PASTEL! We are an English-language preschool for children ages 2 to 6. Our school is located in Kartal, Istanbul, in one of the neighborhood’s most beautiful locations.
Our holistic approach to education focuses on the child’s overall well-being and development. Our vision is twofold: to ensure that children develop in a nurturing environment that strengthens their language skills and self-confidence while fostering their personal growth.
Our Values
Language Development
The early years are critical for achieving bilingualism with ease; we know that children are particularly adept at absorbing different languages before the age of seven.
We support this window of opportunity by offering our multilingual school community a comprehensive and balanced English-Turkish curriculum. Children experience both school languages through play, as well as in group and individual learning sessions. We regularly sing songs and associate each language with specific teachers who communicate in either English or Turkish.
Self-confidence
In our daily activities, we constantly encourage children’s self-confidence. Allowing children to do things on their own and explore helps boost their self-confidence. When we give children the space to find their own solutions, they feel more fulfilled. Of course, we offer help when they need it, but trying things on their own is important for their development—and it’s fun, too!
Creativity
By offering open-ended toys that allow children to decide for themselves how they want to play, we spark their imagination. Additionally, by fostering each child’s individuality, we encourage them to develop their own ideas and solutions to situations. This fosters creativity.
Responsibility
Instilling a sense of responsibility at an early age teaches children to be aware of their actions and their consequences—whether for themselves, others, or the environment. At Pastel, we encourage children to develop a sense of responsibility by involving them in tasks and explaining the consequences of their actions. We explain to your child that throwing objects can break them, but we also explain the consequences of being rude to others. By naming behaviors and their consequences without imposing value judgments, we help children become more aware of the connections between them.