LEARNING

Il NIDO Playgroup

l Nido – Italian Immersion and Reggio-Inspired Beginnings

For toddlers with a caregiver • 50-minute sessions • 3x/week option (M-W-F 9:00-9:50 am)

Il Nido is a welcoming, Reggio-inspired program for toddlers (ages 0-3) and their caregivers—a soft beginning to school life, rooted in connection, curiosity, and care. Held three times a week in 50-minute sessions, Il Nido offers families a first taste of bilingual education and the rich possibilities of the Reggio Emilia philosophy.

Led by Chiara Calci, a gifted and deeply attuned early childhood educator, the class is designed to meet toddlers exactly where they are: in movement, in sound, in wonder. Chiara creates a warm and predictable rhythm that supports both the child and the adult, making the transition into group settings feel natural, playful, and safe. Italian is woven seamlessly into every moment—through songs, stories, gestures, and shared routines—so that language becomes something children feel before they understand. Caregivers are active participants, modeling curiosity and comfort, and building their own connection to Italian alongside their child.

Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, the environment is rich in materials and invitations to explore. Simple provocations with light, color, texture, and sound offer toddlers opportunities to engage their senses and begin constructing meaning through experience.

1. IL NIDO DROP IN (Drop-In Rate)

  • $25 per session

  • Ideal for first-timers or families who need flexibility

  • Pay as you go – no commitment required

2. IL NIDO ROUTINE (Monthly Unlimited – 3x/Week)

For families who want rhythm, immersion, and growth. (A classic monthly membership model)

  • ~12 sessions/month

  • Standard Value: ~$300/month (12 × $25)

  • Monthly Unlimited Price: $240/month
    (20% discount for regulars)

  • Pause anytime with 1 week’s notice

3. IL NIDO FLEX (10 or 20 Pack)

Use anytime across the school year – no scheduling stress. (Best for occasional, flexible families)

  • Nido10 Pack

    • 10 sessions for $230

    • Save $20 (=$23/session)

    • Use within 4 months

  • Nido20 Pack

    • 20 sessions for $430

    • Save $70 (=$21.50/session)

    • Use within 6 months

4. IL NIDO Full-Year Package (3x/Week)

Best-value, our most rewarding program. The program meets 81 times during the school year — but your first session is on us.

  • 3 sessions/week × ~36 weeks = 81 sessions

  • Standard Value: 80 × $25 = $2,000

  • Package Price : $1,700 (15% discount)

  • Payment Options:

    • One-time payment

    • OR 9 monthly installments of $261 or $255 (Sept–May)

    • Two-payment plan: $850 at registration, $850 by mid-year (January).

  • Includes:

    • Guaranteed spot for all sessions

    • Best per-session rate of the year

    • First session of the year is free

Il NIDO Calendar

October 2025

8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 27, 29, 31 (11 days)

November 2025

3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21 (9 days)

December 2025

1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 17, 19 (9 days)

January 2026

5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 26, 28, 30 (9 days)

February 2026

2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 18, 20, 23, 25, 27 (11 days)

March 2026

2, 4, 9, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20, 30 (9 days)

April 2026

1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 20, 22, 24, 27, 29 (12 days)

May 2026

1, 4, 6, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22, 27, 29 (11 days)

Spaces are extremely limited, enrollment is confirmed on a first-come basis. If you are interested please email director@siefchicago.org

FantaSIEF Saturdays: ITALIAN LANGUAGE and CULTURE classes for children of all ages

2025 Winter to Spring SATURDAY classes for all ages of children, info and registration here!

ITALIAN SUMMER CAMPS at Scuola Fermi

PRIORITY ENROLLMENT WILL OPEN SOON

Scuola Italiana Enrico Fermi, 1510 N Claremont Avenue (and LaMoyne), Wicker Park, Chicago
Italian Arts Summer Camps: Fine, Performing, and Culinary Arts
Ages 4-8 years old

Immerse in a Reggio Emilia informed summer as we explore fine, performing, and culinary arts. We will study Italian cuisine, artistic masters and movements, and the work of inventors and builders--starting in Italy and then connecting to the world. Students will attend a weekly field trip off site to deepen and enrich their studies and further fuel their personal curiosities. We will enjoy summer weather, water play, and outdoor time daily at our beautiful, child-centric Claremont Avenue scuola. A delightful balance of indoor and outdoor play, inquiry, learning, and study with project work sharing time the final day of each session. All language levels are welcomed and planned for. This is an intimate group and will fill fast. Please reach out if questions — limited number of placements available.

ITALIAN WORLD CAMP at Lycée Français de Chicago

Join us in 2025 for three or all six consecutive weeks of summer fun at Lycée Français on the north side—we will soak up Italian language, culture, and plenty of new friends! This is a larger grouping in a dynamic environment.

WORLD CAMP REGISTRATION FOR 2026 WILL OPEN SOON

https://www.lyceeworldcamp.org/

  • Gordon Method Music Appreciation

    A SIEF winter favorite with maestro Tommaso Moretti

    Winter becomes fun and harmonious when maestro Tommasso returns each year to SIEF! His “Music ABC” class is a full immersion in “song language”; instead of talking, we sing and use rhythm patterns and tones to communicate; our hands, bodies, feet, and instruments help us tell a musical story! This offering will start to activate your child’s musical thinking (audiation). Interacting exclusively in a musical way, the teacher and the studenti investigate the essential elements of music and discover the emotions hidden inside of those. Short tonal and rhythmic songs—extracted from the classical, jazz, and folk repertories of the world—capture the students’ imaginations as explored through playful activities and body movements.

    ABOUT TOMMASO:

    Tommaso Moretti is a musician, educator, and composer born and raised in Macerata, Italy who relocated to Chicago in 2013.
    In 2001, Tommaso moved to Rome to study Political Science at "Università La Sapienza" where he graduated in 2006.
    Between 2005-2013 he released albums and toured internationally with four different bands from Rome: Thrangh, Tribraco, The Orange Man Theory, Underdog.
    In 2007, Tommaso attended the basic level, the advanced level, and the specialization workshop of the national training course, "The Child's Musical Education from 0 to 6 Years Old According to the Music Learning Theory of E.E. Gordon" conducted by Andrea Apostoli, president of the Italian Association Of Musical Learning (A.I.G.A.M). Maestro Tommaso successfully passed the final exam.
    Immediately after obtaining his certification as an early childhood music educator, he began working in many different daycare centers and Kindergartens in Rome and also started teaching drums in two different local, private music schools.
    Since relocating to Chicago, Tommaso has become active in the city's vibrant music scene, performing nationally/internationally and releasing albums with bands and artists such as: Ben Lamar Gay, Rob Fry's Exoplanet, Eric Hines's Pan Dulce, Chicago Samba. In 2017 he released his first album as a leader: "SemoComesemo" for the local music label Amalgam.
    Tommaso is currently employed as an early childhood music teacher at Scuola Italiana Enrico Fermi in Chicago and he works as drum kit educator at Music House, a local music school.

Dual Language Education

SIEF International School is a dual-lingual school, where children and parents are exposed to both Italian and English. Families and students do not need to be exposed to the Italian language before coming to SIEF, and our goal is to have them become—over time—fully bilingual, biliterate and bicultural.

It is shown that being bilingual supports cognitive and social development, but most importantly, it develops intercultural competencies, which are much needed in our global society.

Our goal is for our children to achieve a bilingual, biliteracy and bicultural proficiency: we would love for them to be equally competent in both languages in interpersonal communication as well as in academic skills.

In their everyday life at school, students are exposed to—and are deeply imbued with—Italian culture. We also explore and celebrate holidays and Italian school norms like Befana and Carnevale. We share meals in the way of an Italian family, understanding that the joy shared in a meal is also critical for development and wellness. SIEF is an inclusive international environment, teaching students to embrace their own cultures and traditions as well. Teachers invite families to share culture and traditions that are important to them as we converse and commune over the many ways of thinking, feeling, celebrating, and being.