We’re honored to have Early Partners featured in local and national press. Explore recent articles highlighting our work in early childhood education and innovation.
July 15, 2025 - A feature on NOLA.com highlights how Early Partners is elegantly blending play-based learning with data-driven instruction to ensure children are well-prepared for kindergarten. The article profiles EP’s unique Reggio-inspired, child-led philosophy and how teachers are using playful moments to gather meaningful insights—informing personalized learning for each child.
Teacher-researchers at Early Partners are shown observing natural play to capture developmental data in real time, rather than relying on formal tests. This approach not only respects each child’s curiosity and agency but also provides the kind of rigorous learning support that sets kids up for success.
July 31, 2025 - This feature follows several people who came to New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina intending only to help rebuild — but ultimately stayed and built their lives here. Among them is Early Partners founder Kim Frusciante, who first came to Tulane in 2005 and later returned with a deep sense of responsibility to give back to the city that had given so much to her.
In the article, Kim shares how witnessing the city’s rebirth inspired her to focus on early childhood education. She highlights the firehouse home of Early Partners, its gardens and outdoor classroom, and the guiding principle that 90% of the brain is formed before kindergarten. The story positions Early Partners as an outcome of the post-Katrina landscape: a place where innovation and community intersect to ensure children are ready to thrive.
Frusciante notes that, while she and her husband sometimes talk about leaving, the city’s unique richness and connection keep them rooted. Her goal, she says, is to help New Orleans “be the best version of itself that native New Orleanians have always deserved.”
March 21, 2025 - This short film spotlights how Early Partners is redefining early childhood education in New Orleans by combining Reggio-inspired, child-led learning with intentional, data-driven instruction. Viewers step inside classrooms filled with joy, curiosity, and purposeful teaching—showing why Early Partners is becoming a model for the field.
Michael Hecht, CEO of GNO Inc., calls Early Partners “early childhood education done right. It’s the real deal.” He also highlights the organization’s unique use of data in PreK, saying: “The data focus on Early Partners is something that we see in older grades. The fact that we’re seeing that in PreK is revolutionary.”
The film underscores that Early Partners is not just preparing children for kindergarten—it’s shaping the future of the city by proving what’s possible in early learning.
January 18, 2025 - The Pro Bono Publico Foundation—the philanthropic arm of the Rex Organization—has granted more than $1.2 million to support schools and educational programs across New Orleans, including Early Partners. These funds are part of the Foundation’s 18th grant cycle and reflect a city-wide commitment to high-quality, equitable education.
In the article, Early Partners’ founder Kim Frusciante is quoted, highlighting how this support strengthens early childhood programming and expands access for New Orleans families. We’re honored to be included alongside other local schools and programs as recipients of this year’s Pro Bono Publico grants.
March 21, 2024 - Early Partners is building a model that bridges child-led, Reggio-inspired learning with data-driven instruction to equitably support children’s growth. In partnership with the Harvard Graduate School of Education, we’ve launched Project Bridge—a qualitative and quantitative study of this approach. The project not only evaluates our model’s effectiveness but also develops practical tools for other schools and early childhood providers. Our ultimate aim is to reshape the national vision of early childhood education by offering a model of excellence for all communities.
December 11, 2024 - In this new video feature, Louisiana State Senator Royce Duplessis underscores the importance of local investment in high-quality early childhood education. Speaking about Early Partners, he notes: “When we as a city invest in institutions and schools like Early Partners, the payoff is immeasurable.”
The film highlights how Early Partners’ model—rooted in joyful, Reggio-inspired classrooms and strengthened by a focus on data and equity—is not only transforming children’s lives but also building a stronger future for New Orleans. Senator Duplessis’ words affirm that supporting early learning centers like Early Partners is a smart and essential investment for the city.
A growing number of cities are raising local taxes to expand access to free or affordable child care. In New Orleans, voters approved a property tax increase in 2022 that boosted funding for the City Seats program from $3 million to $21 million annually, unlocking more than 1,000 new early learning seats and doubling state matching funds.
Early Partners is featured as one of the centers providing these high-quality City Seats classrooms, offering families affordable access to child care while also supporting teachers with fair wages and professional development. The story highlights how local investments are ensuring more children enter kindergarten ready to learn, with Early Partners serving as a model site in this city-wide initiative.
March 21, 2024- A researcher from Harvard Graduate School of Education reports that toddlers at Early Partners are helping shape new national standards for early childhood education. In collaboration with the Harvard team, Early Partners has launched Project Bridge—a mixed-methods study combining qualitative and quantitative research. The initiative explores how a child-led, Reggio-inspired approach can harmonize with data-driven instruction to equitably support development. Beyond evaluating the model’s effectiveness, Project Bridge aims to develop practical tools for use by other early education providers.
April 11, 2023 - Something slithered into New Orleans City Park—and it wasn’t Big Easy’s version of Nessie. A mysterious, serpent-like creature was spotted swimming in the lagoon, capturing the attention of locals and national media like Newsweek! Naturally, Early Partners got roped in… because who else would you call when you see a water monster?
Our fearless young explorers were interviewed on camera, mixing skepticism and awe in equal measure. Even researchers scratched their heads, children were both terrified and excited, and the whole scene became a viral sensation.
So while Early Partners didn’t hatch the creature (we think), our kids helped turn folklore into headlines—making a splash in the most literal way possible. Press coverage detailed the creature’s appearance, the community buzz, and yes, proudly featured our little monster-hunters at the heart of the story.
May 23, 2022 - In a May 2022 profile by Harvard Graduate School of Education, Early Partners founder Kim Frusciante shares the origins of her early childhood initiative. What began as a summer pilot in 2018—funded by the New Schools Venture Fund and structured with a for-profit model to reinvest earnings into better pay and quality—became much more meaningful when the pandemic hit. A pause in operations offered a chance to reflect and led Kim back to education: she joined the Ed School part-time and virtually, launching the journey that would become Early Partners.
May 25, 2022 - In this commencement feature, our founder Kim Frusciante (Ed.M. ’22) reflects on her unconventional Harvard journey during the pandemic. Though she attended virtually, she used that time to refine the Theory of Change that would guide the creation of Early Partners. In her student address, Kim shared how resilience, equity, and community shaped her leadership—and how those lessons continue to inspire Early Partners’ mission to transform early childhood education.
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Early Partners admits students of any race, color, national origin, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It doesn’t discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
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