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We're looking for rare individuals. Teachers with degrees in early childhood or environmental education and a fire in the belly to make a difference. Administrators with a head for business and a heart for helping children reach their full potential. People who are so invested that they'll stay with us for years, growing and developing our educational community. Is that you?
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Kids learn through play, but what about the grown ups? The Grove School is a playground for everyone. Join the fun!
(Psst, you can move the colored circles with your mouse.)
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A class of PK students prepare the planter box for our spring plantings.

Now that the spring weather is settling in, I am reminded, and still amazed, at how much our students love to work (and play) in our outdoor grove.

We have a lot of activity going on in our grove.  We are in the process of installing a sensory path and an edible garden and we also have many new plantings all around.  One of our classes is monitoring rain fail, another is doing planting experiments with root plants, herbs and vegetables, and others are testing flowers.

The soaking beans begin to sprout.

Our greenhouse is full of sprouting flowers and veggies, our planter boxes have young plants in them, and our outdoor grove is undergoing a transformation into a sensory trail and an edible garden.  It is wonderful to watch.

But what is more amazing is how our students are so engaged with all of it.  They enjoy watching the progress of their plantings from seeds, to sprouts, to full-size plants.

Two-year old students put in the plants for one of the sensory garden elements in our outdoor grove.

Naturally, as shown in the first photo (above), the students love digging in the dirt.  They also equally love learning about the life cycle of plants, what conditions makes them grow, or not, and how they can create the best conditions for growth.

Students work on turning over the compost in our bin.

The teachers then use the planting of the flowers and vegetables as a lesson to how we can take care of ourselves, each other and our surrounding environment.

I look forward to watching the work of our students as their flowers, herbs and vegetables grow and blossom.  Of course, I also hope to eat some of it too!

Enjoy the photos below.

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Ms. Misty works with a student on his writing journal.

One of our goals is to make sure that everyone one of our graduates is more than ready for kindergarten and beyond.  One of the things we do to achieve this goal is to spend a lot of time reading and writing.  After all, from an academic point of view, there is nothing more important than literacy.

I walk in and out of our classrooms throughout the day.  Recently I walked into Ms. Misty’s Pre-K class and found her students and her engaged in reading and writing activities.  I took a few photos with my cell phone and have included them here.

One of the things I liked about this particular visit is that the students were genuinely engaged with their learning.  You can see this in the photos.

Just thought I’d share with you.

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A student records the latest results from the experiment on a chart.

Children in my class were given the opportunity to exercise their probability skills when deciding if objects would sink or float.

A piece of flannel was placed over the easel and labeled/divided FLOAT and SINK.  Picture cards were placed in the shelf for children to choose from and make a guess based upon their knowledge and experience.  The picture card was then placed under their guess of whether the object would float or sink.  After making their guess – they then tested it in the water filled sensory tub!

The  Lesson Objectives:  Teamwork to fill the sensory tub with water, probability skills, testing guesses, cause and effect, exploring with water, float, sink, buoyancy, properties of water, and the effect water has on objects.

It’s fun to see the students enjoy activities with and involving water – that’s why they seem naturally drawn to water puddles, rain, splashing and mixing, basically anything dealing with water!

A student contemplates whether objects will sink or float.

Children can spend lengthy amounts of time simply pouring, dumping, mixing, and stirring water.  From a parental perspective it can be messy to clean up and time consuming.  From a teacher perspective it can become a nuisance if children are constantly washing or most often playing at the sink!  Capitalize on these instances and use them as learning experiences – provide soapy water, washcloths, and dishes for washing, water babies and sponges for bathing, varying objects to float/sink, cooking materials, or really anything – remember children have imaginations – something we tend to “lose” as we grow older!  If a child spills water – provide towels to clean it up.  If a child gets his/her clothing wet – allow them time to reflect and problem solve (next time roll up sleeves, wear a smock, change into swimsuit, etc).

Water play is often found to be very calming for children and is very tactile experience.  Children need ample time to play in and with water.  Sometimes, we as adults, take the pure simplicity and joy of water for granted!  Remember it’s just water AND it will dry!

Misti is a Pre-K teacher at The Grove School of Plano. She is an avid Kansas State fan. (We don't hold that against her!)

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A Grove dad works with his son during an activity at the school.

On Thursday, Feb. 17 we are hosting a special night of events at The Grove School of Cary.  The first event is the “Man in My Life” activity for students of the school and a significant man in their lives, like a dad, a granddad, or someone else special.  This special time starts at 5pm and ends at 6pm. The children will be doing a special activity with their invited guest.

The next activity on the same night is an OPEN HOUSE that will go from 6pm to 7pm.  This time of the evening is for families who are looking for a preschool for either now or the summer or fall.

The OPEN HOUSE is for everyone. We will provide tours of our green and eco-friendly facility, provide curriculum demonstrations and have an opportunity to meet our world-class staff.

Please feel free to invite friends and families that you know.

As you know, NOW is the time to reserve your spots for summer and fall. Don’t delay!

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President Obama concluded his State of the Union address last week by claiming that the state of our union is strong. But there was at least one area where he did not have much encouraging news—the state of our education system. In fact, the President opened his remarks on education by pointing out some alarming statistics.

Over the next 10 years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education that goes beyond a high school education.  And yet, as many as a quarter of our students aren’t even finishing high school.  The quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations.  America has fallen to ninth in the proportion of young people with a college degree.

And, while President Obama called the Race to the Top, “the most meaningful reform of our public schools in a generation,” and provided a powerful acknowledgment of the important and often under-appreciated role of teachers, there was at least one education topic that was noticeably absent in his remarks—early childhood education.

Previously President Obama and Secretary Duncan have proclaimed the importance of early childhood education as providing the essential foundation for school readiness and long term education and social success. Previously both have championed the Early Learning Challenge Grants in an effort to promote innovation and excellence for programs serving our youngest children. But in this critical address to the Congress and our nation there was no mention of early childhood education.

Efforts to provide quality programs for young children will face financial challenges as funding is under siege given the budget shortfalls facing the states and the economic uncertainty facing many families with young children.

So, let us hope that early childhood education is not lost among all the other priorities facing our country, for it is the best investment that can be made in our children and our nation.

Dr. Elanna Yalow, Executive Vice President of Knowledge Universe and Vice Chair of Knowledge Learning Corporation, holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Stanford University.

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During the school day, students in each of our classes have the opportunity to participate in one of our five strands classes. The strands that we provide for them are music, art, drama, Healthy-Me (physical fitness) and Eco Friends (science-based).  They rotate through the strands each week.

Each class participates in the strands for 30 minutes each day.  Ms. Tanya is the strands teachers and she utilizes her creativity and imagination to integrate the strands one with another.  For instance, while studying about the life cycle of a plant in their Eco-Friends strand class, they used theatrical play to reenact a seed sprouting.  (See above left photo.)

The photos included here show students working in each of the five strands.  Please click on the photos to see them larger and to read a description.

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Ms. Tanya's class marches in a musical parade at the "Carnival"

I had the pleasure of observing Ms. Tanya’s music class this week.  While I was in there, she was teaching a group of Early Preschool students music.  They are in the middle of their Carnival unit.  So during the class, they marched in a parade, played a game of ball toss, and “rode” on a merry-go-round.

We are so fortunate to have such a strong strands program for our students.  In addition to music, Ms. Tanya also teaches them art, fine arts, dramatic play, eco-friends (a science curriculum) and healthy fit (health and physical fitness).  Our students attend these strands everyday as part of the school day.

Enjoy the video below.

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During this time of year, children around the world dream of many wondrous things.  Toys, games, IPods, candy, puppies, bikes, are just a few of the things that pop in their heads.  And of course, the dreams of those things are further heightened by the fact that on one special night of the year, a man in a red suit rides a sleigh pulled by reindeer to deliver these goods, all in one night.

If you think about it, that one night requires an unreal performance by that man in the red suit.  From a child’s point of view, that is what they see of Santa, his “game day” uniform, his equipment, his team (of reindeer), and of course, his bag full of gifts.  However, the reality is that this one special night of traversing this planet would not be possible without the other 364 days preceding it.

Yes, his special performance requires A LOT OF WORK AND PREPARATION.  That could be why he is so good at what he does.

The same is true for Michael Jordan, the best basketball player ever, or the Pyramids in Egypt, or the construction of the Empire State Building.

It takes lots of preparation to be or make something really good.

The preparation that Santa and all successful people put into their work began with a strong foundation. Greatness has a beginning.

The foundations for children begin in the home and can be greatly fortified with a strong preschool program like we have at The Grove School.  We help build the foundation of social, emotional, physical and intellectual wellness.  And in addition to that, we also help lay the foundation for being good members of a global, eco-friendly community.

Ask airline pilots about how important the beginning of the flight is.  Just a difference of one degree at the beginning of a flight can have disastrous results by allowing a flight to get dangerously off course.

The same is true for our young ones.  The earlier we get them “on course”, the better it is for them and their ability to reach and exceed potential.  Providing a rich, stimulating, creative and imagination building preschool experience is one of the ingredients that does just that.

Just like Santa meticulously plans all year long for his whirlwind journey and makes a “naughty or nice” list to ensure the precision of his work, I ho ho hope we can be equally diligent in the preparation we provide our children.

After all, what better gift can we give our children than being prepared for success in this ever-changing world?

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The following op ed piece was written by Dr. Elanna Yalow, the Exec. VP for Knowledge Universe.  It was published Thursday by AOL Online.

As politicians, researchers, educators and even filmmakers continue to debate why the United States has dropped to number 25 in educational achievement in the world, the role of high-quality early childhood education in closing America’s achievement gap needs to be a bigger part of the reform conversation.

While the Obama administration’s Race to the Top program and the creation of common core state standards for K-12 in English/language arts and mathematics are rightfully lauded as major victories, these national reform efforts start too late in children’s lives. Have we destined reform — and our children — to fail because we’ve ignored the critical importance of early childhood education in preparing young people to succeed in the K-12 system?

A new national teacher poll shows that early childhood education should be a priority. More than three-quarters of kindergarten and first grade teachers surveyed in the Knowledge Universe “Early Childhood Education: A Benchmark for Long-Term Success” survey, agreed that children who attend early learning programs not only have a distinct advantage throughout their academic careers, but are more likely to graduate from high school than those who did not.

These findings are consistent with a recent report from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which revealed that children who receive high quality early childhood education perform better academically and cognitively at age 15.

Why do the benefits of early childhood education extend so far beyond kindergarten? The answer is backed by science and experience: much of the development that influences achievement throughout life occurs before children even set foot in school.

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We designed The Grove School to reflect what we believe is missing in preschool today–a true balance between education and fun. We represent the joy of learning. We’re giving children a stimulating and positive environment, with the right resources and access to fantastic teachers.

To make this possible one of our key commitments is to recruit and train the highest-caliber teachers. Our people are passionate, energetic and motivated to leave an indelible print on children so they’ll come out of our school prepared to be future leaders in what they do. There is a strong culture of empowerment throughout our organization, and especially at the teacher level.

Because of this, we’re creating positive memories as opposed to just educational experiences. If we do our part, children will carry these memories throughout their lives.

Ty is our president. He sets our strategy, tone and culture. He's also the father of 3 daughters.

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