Fulfilling a Lifelong Quest to Improve Children’s Lives in Mooresville
For Sheila and Chris Beck, it was the personal experience their own children had with a Montessori school years ago that attracted them to Ivybrook Academy. They saw their oldest children thrive in the individualized learning environment offered during their Preschool years. Sheila fondly remembers, “Our eldest boys loved attending a Montessori program so much they wanted to go to school on weekends!”
Their Story
As the parents of five children, both biological and adopted, Sheila and Chris know all too well the importance of early childhood education on a child’s future success.
For this husband-and-wife duo, opening their Ivybrook campus in Mooresville, North Carolina, is yet another example of their passion to improve the lives of children. With their experience as parents, plus backgrounds working as child advocates and foster parents, they understand the benefits of encouraging a child’s curiosity in the world around them.
“We see how beneficial child-led learning was for our own children,” Chris says. “Exposing children to educational exploration at a young, developmental age instills a strong lifelong love for learning.”
This is why this full-circle dream come true is so inspiring for the couple. They are thrilled to have school underway in a newly constructed building. From the classrooms to the playground, Ivybrook Academy Mooresville is providing unique learning tools that are elevating early childhood education in the area.
While Sheila and Chris co-own the campus, Sheila also serves as Director of Admissions at their Mooresville Ivybrook Academy location. Opening the doors of this school has been a labor of love. Their location search for the perfect spot for this Preschool was a two-year process. But well worth it as they fulfill their passion to take care of children. Providing a school with a unique curriculum for children in the community is the opportunity they were looking for.
Why Ivybrook? Individualized Curriculum
The Ivybrook Academy approach enables each student to travel down their own individualized learning path.
“Our educators sit down with students on day one to find out what interests them. Then they tailor learning to meet the child’s needs. It also gives each student a choice in what they want to learn about,” says Sheila.
Ivybrook’s unique and progressive curriculum allows children to embrace their curiosity and learn in their own style. For example, classrooms are filled with beautiful, nature-inspired materials that children want to touch immediately. From dissecting flowers to piling up pasta, they love using their hands to learn more about reading, writing, math, and science.
Ivybrook Academy is a nationwide network of pre-schools that offer a balanced, multifaceted approach to early childhood learning. The curriculum is a hybrid of Montessori and Reggio Emilia concepts and Multiple Intelligence Research. The result is a top-quality Preschool experience that meets the individual needs of little learners through a collaborative approach to early childhood education.
For Sheila and Chris, they are delighted to provide this concept in their community. “We are looking forward to watching our students of all ages learn and grow in the new, exciting environment we’re bringing to Mooresville,” explains Sheila.
Children at Ivybrook can expect an atmosphere defined by focused, individualized attention that allows them to learn at their own pace and in their own style. They take an active role in their learning.
Ivybrook believes in a strong partnership between families and committed educators. An ideal early learning environment consists of opportunities for children to explore, create, solve problems, and work collaboratively with others. This deepens their understanding of the world through meaningful social interaction and frequent reflection with their peers and adults.
Ivybrook Academy believes that children are born with a natural curiosity about the world; and that cultivating this curiosity with careful listening and support is the key to successful lifelong learning.
For more information about the Ivybrook Academy location in Mooresville, N.C., click here.