BizBeat: Day care expands with enrollment growth

A Jefferson City preschool with a unique curriculum recently relocated from its original location at 700 W. High St. to a much larger facility at 601 Scotts Station Road.

By the time the new school year starts in August, enrollment at Growing Hearts Montessori will more than double, from 17 students to 38 students, owners said.

Director Jason Richards and his wife, Diyanira Richards, who serves as head of curriculum, said they opened the school in 2015 to provide a unique education for young children that teaches them independence and self-sufficiency.

"Sometimes school gets pinned down as only science or only this skill," Jason Richards said. "Montessori takes into account the entire life and taking care of yourself and your surroundings."

Originally created in the 1920s by Italian Maria Montessori, Montessori educations often teach students of many grade levels and ages simultaneously and at their own pace. Two other Montessori preschools also serve young students in Jefferson City.

The Richards moved Growing Hearts into its new building March 27. The school also recently received accreditation from the International Montessori Society, one of two organizations in the United States that certify Montessori schools.

Know of any business happenings around Jefferson City? Let us know at [email protected].