Along with learning their ABCs, children at this new Pulaski Street preschool will be introduced to something that isn’t often taught to young children but is just as important as the alphabet: Fitness.
The founders of Kiddie Fit Community Preschool, which opens next month, believe it’s never too early to start teaching kids about staying healthy.
“When children have fitness instilled in their lives at an earlier age, they’re more likely to stick with it and enjoy it,” said Tara Daniels, the school’s managing director.
Keeping the students active is a guiding principle to each day’s activities. Children will not only spend time every day learning about fitness and nutrition, but academic lessons will also find creative ways to incorporate movement and activity.
“At this age, children learn best when they’re moving,” Daniels said. “When we introduce the movement aspect to it, we’re intertwining the academics as well.”
Learning the alphabet, for example, won’t look like a “traditional sit-down lesson” that parents might remember from their own preschool days.
“We may be walking out the letters of the alphabet, marching the alphabet around the room, going on a letter hunt,” Daniels said. “We’ll be jumping to the numbers while learning to count. We want to get them moving and show them that fitness and learning can be fun.”
The school is also employing an off-site nutritionist to help plan lessons, do fun activities with the students and hold nutrition events for parents in the evenings.
The preschool’s focus on health and nutrition also means that daily snacks are all organic, low-sugar and non-GMO.
“We both feel very strongly about nutrition and fitness, and the curriculum reflects that,” said managing partner Stephanie Shin, who also owns Safari Adventure, where the school is located.
The preschool’s program is unique, Shin says, not only because of its focus on fitness and nutrition, but also because it specifically targets children between ages 3 and 4.
“There’s not a lot of choices for a good education program that’s just preschool,” Shin said. “There’s a lot of other childcare places that are full-day and take a full range of children, but I think we both really wanted a program that focused on this level.”
The school will offer 2-day, 3-day and 5-day programs. All programs are currently half-day, between 9 a.m. and 11:45 a.m., but Shin says they have plan to expand to a full-day program once the preschool gets off the ground.
An early childhood education veteran of more than 20 years, Daniels has always wanted to find a way to combine two of her biggest passions: children and fitness.
Two years ago, she found a way to do just that. Daniels developed a children’s fitness program called Kiddie Fit that she has since brought to daycares, libraries, community centers and preschools across both forks.
“Parents kept asking me if I could make a longer program,” Daniels said. “I realized that it was finally time for me to open up a preschool.”
Enter Stephanie Shin, the owner of Safari Adventure on Pulaski Street.
Shin bought the children’s entertainment center three years ago with plans to expand the business’s educational programs.
“It was always an unfulfilled dream of mine to be a teacher or be with young kids,” Shin said. “But I don’t have an education background.”
This summer, she decided the time was right to start thinking about a preschool. She put out a call online for an educator who would be interested in partnering up with her – and within minutes, Daniels responded to her post.
“It was definitely meant to be,” Shin said.
“We met the next day and that was it,” Daniels said. “Our visions were identical.”
In the months following, the two women have been busy brainstorming, developing a curriculum and outfitting their new classroom, which is located in a former birthday party room at Safari Adventure.
And on January 11, Kiddie Fit Community Preschool will hold its first classes.
“I’m so happy it’s finally happening,” Shin said.
The preschool’s classroom is located in a former birthday party room at Safari Adventure. An expansive floor-to-ceiling mural of the African plains covers the walls of the classroom, and colorful depictions of elephants, zebras and giraffes give the classroom a playful, adventurous feel.
But parents don’t have to worry about children getting distracted by the bright lights and arcade games in the indoor playground next-door. When classes at the preschool start at 9 a.m., Safari Adventure hasn’t opened yet, and the play area is dark.
“But by the time they leave we’ll be open,” Shin said. “Families are more than welcome to stay and play.” A membership to Safari Adventure is included in the preschool’s monthly tuition, which ranges between $225 and $350.
An open house will be held Wednesday, January 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information about Kiddie Fit Community Preschool, visit their website or call 631-591-0400.
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.