Changes Are Happening At Leo Augusta Children’s Academy!
Dramatic changes are taking place at the Leo Augusta Children’s Academy in Blooming Prairie, MN. If you’ve had the opportunity to view our videos on Facebook, or on our website, likely you have seen the dramatic changes that have taken place as they relate to the construction of the Academy. However, there are several behind the scene changes that we also want you to be aware of, too.
In this May Monthly Newsletter, we will share with you those changes that may not be as visible as the changes you may see with construction. Merriam-Webster’s definition of change above very appropriately describes what is happening at the Leo Augusta Children’s Academy.
The Leo Augusta Children’s Academy is a childcare-education center whose mission and vision is to provide a much-needed children’s development and care facility within the heart of the underserved southeastern Minnesota rural area. The objective of our Academy is to deliver a hands-on model of child development with the capacity to serve over 140 children, ages infant through 12 years of age. Under a structured curriculum, coupled with flexibility, our philosophy of learning and care will focus on emotional, intellectual, physical, and social development in a nurturing and secure environment. Here at the Academy, we are not your typical child care center. We will have 18,000 square feet in which to care for and educate our children. We will have a full-size gymnasium and indoor activity space with a beautiful, large outdoor play area that is fenced in for each age category. The Academy will have a full-size kitchen that will provide healthy and fresh meals to our children. Our learning areas have been specially designed to promote age-appropriate learning while meeting the individual needs of each child.
The Leo Augusta Children’s Academy Team is a group of individuals that hold degrees in education or early childhood education and have experience working with children. At the Academy, we provide our team members with professional development, creative freedom, and a collaborative environment to ensure the highest quality care, education, and growth for our children’s success.
Highly Qualified Team + Safe, Secure, and Nurturing Environment = Child Growth and Success!
Team members will begin on Monday, May 9, and will have at least 4 weeks of training and professional development. Required training and courses from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, training on the philosophy, policies, and procedures of the Academy, and professional development from leaders and the University of Minnesota’s Center for Early Education and Development are a few of the topics that will be presented during that time. We value and appreciate the education and experience that our staff members bring to the Academy. Our philosophy provides a strong teams-based work environment and the flexibility to do what’s necessary to enable the learning and development of children through the promotion of cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. Our team members are loving and dedicated individuals who understand the different needs that children have.
At the Academy, enrollment is currently taking place. For our initial opening (anticipated for June 6) we have staffed one classroom for each age level (8 infants, 14 toddlers, 20 preschoolers, and 30 school-age children). At full capacity, we will have room for 144 children. At the Academy, we believe, and research shows, that the Creative Curriculum program is one of the best teaching strategies for early learning because it focuses on the development of the whole child. This program is innovative, responsive, supportive, comprehensive, and developmentally appropriate. This program is innovative in that it asks our teachers and staff to use the resources, teaching strategies, and tools that are conducive to better early childhood education. School staff will become flexible and open-minded to the latest research in development and learning. The Creative Curriculum program is supportive to teachers and families. We all realize that without guidance and support we can feel overwhelmed and confused when working with children. The creators of this program realized this and have developed the curriculum to support, advise, and provide guidance to teachers and families every single step of the way.
For Questions on Enrollment or Programming
Please contact the Team Leaders below for more information.
Thank you!
Doug Anderson, Director: doug@leoaugusta.com
Daysha Zilm, Assistant Director: daysha@leoaugusta.com
Does this sound interesting?
Are these qualities describing you?
Are you seeking a professional change in your life?
Do you want to make a difference each day in the life of a child?
If so, open positions at the Academy will be posted shortly. Stay tuned!
For updates on progress and development follow the LACA Facebook page.