The Schoolhouse Opening Monday in Duluth
New Duluth preschool for children ages 1-4 raises the bar on early childhood education.
Photos
On Monday, Aug. 8, a dream seven years in the making will come to life as The Schoolhouse Preschool Academy, located at 2466 Buford Highway between Rogers Bridge Road and Sugarloaf Parkway, opens its doors to the Duluth community. The Schoolhouse offers a special preschool learning environment that invites children ages 1-4 to explore their sense of wonder while fostering learning, challenge and choice.
The Schoolhouse offers preschoolers “An Ivy League Beginning,” according to Director Angilla Jones. “Without question the Ivy League schools set the bar in higher education. Our goal here is to raise the bar in preschool education, offering the same level of ‘Ivy League” quality and commitment to learning,” Jones said. “We go far beyond childcare here.”
“It’s during these formative years that our children will establish their understanding of education, develop their learning habits, learn to take pride in their ideas and their work, and learn to be critical thinkers and seekers of answers for a lifetime. We are here to offer a very unique learning environment for preschoolers like this community has never seen.”
Jones has had a passion for young children since she was 9 years old and accepted her first babysitting job. After earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Howard University, Jones launched her first career in finance. As an executive at General Electric, Jones gleaned wisdom and knowledge about business management and leadership under GE CEO Jack Welch.
Through the years Jones began to dream about developing a school that allowed for a new way of thinking, teaching and learning that would prepare children to become the next generation of leaders and thinkers. Jones traveled across the United States and abroad, taking notes on best practices in preschool education, and refining her vision for The Schoolhouse. To equip herself with the training she needed, Jones went back to school and earned a master’s degree in early childhood education from Capella University as well as a Montessori diploma.
The Schoolhouse has a progressive approach to education inspired by Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory, the Reggio Emilia Approach and the Montessori model. The learning environment is small by design but includes age-specific classrooms, indoor play and reading areas and an outdoor art studio, sandbox, stage, and play area.
The school will accept an enrollment of only 60 students, offering exceptional student/teacher ratios of 1-to-6 for 1 to 2-year-olds and 1-to-9 for 3 to 4-year-olds. The Schoolhouse’s culture is steeped in family and community collaboration, offering lots of hands-on-learning driven by the children’s inquiry. Instructionally, teachers are given the flexibility to teach in the moment while being very purposeful and focused on key learning milestones.
Tuition rates range from $855 to $1,155 per month depending upon the length of the child’s learning day with a 5 percent discount for additional siblings enrolled. Applications are now being accepted, and the annual registration fee of $175 is currently being waived for children enrolling before the end of August. Families are invited to schedule a private tour of The Schoolhouse Preschool Academy by calling 404-421-6713. To learn more, visit www.theschoolhouse.com.
Jean H
11:34 am on Sunday, August 7, 2011
I recently met Angilla and loved her passion and vision for The Schoolhouse... especially the outdoor play area to be very "natural" to allow for the imagination and creativity of the children to be developed. Takes me back to when I was a child and we would play outside for hours and let the ideas flow as we played in the yards, the woods, and fields.
Congratulations Angilla! Welcome to Duluth!
Stephanie Wolfe
9:05 am on Monday, August 8, 2011
Angilla came by EPICenter in Duluth on her door to door orientation to her Ivy League preschool 2 weeks ago and since that time I have been running on her passion for The Schoolhouse! In fact, I don't even have a preschooler, but I am telling everyone that I know about this school! With an "Ivy League" leader like Angilla Jones, it is sure to produce Ivy League children with a passion for learning!
Chanell
2:49 pm on Monday, August 8, 2011
I live in Detroit, MI and my son attends a Montessori school; he's been there since 10 months and will be 4 in November. I admire and applaud Ms. Angilla on her success to open a school of such magnitude in the Duluth area. I love the focus of the Montessori program and honestly feel like all preschools should adopt this culture. It's the perfect way to get kids involved in everyday, real life activities. My hat is off to Ms. Angilla and her staff. I wish them much success which I know they will have, with programs like this, tuition shouldn't be an option.
Signed,
Extreme fan of your Master's Plan
Chanell Wade from Detroit, MI
MrsHolmes
3:05 pm on Monday, August 8, 2011
The photos of the school show the design to be perfectly appointed for young learners. As a parent of two pre-school aged children, The SchoolHouse caters to my needs by providing a clean and safe environment for children to learn and grow. Angilla's passion for excellence in education and everything she does is readily apparent. Thank you for broadening my choices in childcare and preschool.
Samara Strode
11:04 am on Thursday, August 11, 2011
It is exciting to read about the opening of The Schoolhouse. Learning begins in the primary years of a child's life, and it is refreshing to know that a school is emerging that will not "baby-sit" children but instead stimulate the minds of young learners. Preschoolers thinking! What a revolutionary idea! As a high school teacher, it is also a pleasant surprise to hear that young children will be introduced to Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences at such an early age. I use his methods in my classroom, and I know how his strategies effectively motivate all students to learn. Early exposure to his teaching strategies ensures that that the students who attend The Schoolhouse will be better prepared for elementary and even high school. Yes, they will truly be on the path for an "Ivy League" education. The pictures on line portray a positive, energetic learning environment. I wish this preschool the best and hope that it wil be come a catalyst that will change the way institutions for early education operate.
Erick Sullivan
1:59 am on Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Ms. Angilla Jones, it was a pleasure touring the campus of The Shoolhouse! All the environments are accommodating, flexible, and reflect an aesthetic and technical standard of excellence worthy of your tag line – An Ivy League Beginning. This is so refreshing to witness, especially with the current state of public outcry over our Georgia School Systems. It seems that you have done the obvious. You have married a proven Montessori Program, Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences, competent and creative teachers, and an environment that nurture’s communication, learning, critical thinking, creativity, and excellence. Is it possible for a child to have fun, learn, and develop self-esteem and a drive for excellence? The Schoolhouse proves it is possible!