Shaping Young Hearts With Intention

The first Great Hearts Preschool, Young Hearts, has opened its doors to families with children ages 3-5 at the new Great Hearts Roosevelt campus in Buckeye.  Young Hearts is a private offshoot of Great Hearts Academies, a network of K-12 public charter schools that offers a revolutionary classical education.

Young Hearts Director Taeler Scott is excited about what they have to offer families with young children.  “Our goal at Young Hearts is to help set a solid foundation for early learner so that when they enter kindergarten, they have a strong foundation already built in to prepare them for elementary readiness.”

Young Hearts shares the same purpose of Great Hearts to “cultivate the hearts and minds of students to pursue Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.”  Other notable similarities shared between Young Hearts and Great Hearts Academies include a uniform policy that creates community and an environment focused on learning.  You will also notice classical art throughout the classrooms that expose the preschoolers to what is beautiful.  Most importantly, Young Hearts aligns with the emphasis on virtues that serves as a cornerstone for the curriculum at Great Hearts. “We feel that starting at age 3, students can learn about being a virtuous human being,” said Scott.  “They can discover what it means to be a good friend and what it looks like to be responsible.  Speaking to them about these virtues at a developmentally appropriate level is important.  We start talking to them about integrality and other virtues as soon as they walk in the door.”

“Children are eager to learn, and what and how and by whom they are being taught at the earliest stages of their moral and intellectual formation is one of the most important decisions any parent can make,” said Jay Heiler, Co-Founder and CEO of Great Hearts Academies. “The lessons of why we must seek truth and goodness and beauty can be just as present in preschool as it is in any other grades, and that’s why we decided to make preschool part of what our larger organization offers families.”

According to Scott, you will notice a few differences from a Great Hearts classroom.  Some standards that you would find at any of the Great Hearts lower schools are not developmentally appropriate for preschoolers.  For instance, you won’t find preschoolers sitting at desks in a scholarly pose.  However, you will find students learning through play and teachers down on the students’ level, playing with them while naturally assessing them through observation.  Data collected during these regular assessments help staff determine the best way to enhance development and competency skills in Social Emotional, Physical, Language, Cognitive, Literacy, Mathematics, Science and Technology, Social Studies, The Arts, and English Language Acquisition.

“We are truly intentional. We use that word a lot here,” said Scott.  “Everything is intentional.  From the songs that we sing to the activities on the table, everything is very thought out as to how these activities will help students.”

Families at Young Hearts appreciate the low teacher to child ratios of 1:10, convenient operating hours of 7:00am-6:00pm, and high-quality curriculum offered in a state-of-the-art facility.  Young Hearts is open year-round except for major holidays.  Enrollment is now open for students ages 3-5 who are potty-trained, but spaces are very limited.  Please apply here.  If you are interested in the services provided by Young Hearts but you don’t live in the Buckeye community, please join the interest list and express your desire for Young Hearts in your area.

Do you have a story or know of a story that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts?  Please contact jmoore@greatheartsamerica.org.