A new preschool for children ages 2-5 opened in Jefferson City this month.
Growing Hearts Montessori, located at 700 W. High St., will begin classes Monday and still has open slots for potential students.
The preschool is owned and operated by Jason and Dee Richards, who employ the Montessori approach to learning.
"What I like is that it really allows each student to learn at their own individual pace," said Jason Richards. "At a lot of schools, they're pitted against their peers to see how fast they can keep up with the rest of the batch, whereas with Montessori they really are their own unique driving force through this education process. They learn at their own speed, and we're just their aid to be there to answer their questions."
Dee Richards serves as Growing Hearts' primary teacher. She has five years of experience in the Montessori method along with an associate's degree in child psychology. Jason Richards has a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Central Missouri.
Growing Hearts' classes run year round from 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
A unique factor in Growing Hearts' educational offerings is that the school is bilingual, as Dee Richards is a native Spanish speaker. "It's easier to learn languages at a young age than later on in life," she said.
"We really emphasize Spanish as well as English," Jason added. "We meet in the middle and really push the children to exceed in those areas."
For more information about Growing Hearts Montessori, call 573-298-3229 or visit the website at growing-hearts.com.
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