In the fall of 2005, a different kind of early education school opened in Lake Orion.
At the time, A School for the Mind and Body occupied 3,500 square feet at its 936 S. Baldwin Road location. That first fall, there were 30 students and only one other staff member in addition to the school’s founder, Nanci Canine.
In three short years, the school has more than tripled in size. It now has eleven staff members, and more than 140 families enrolled in the progressive school.
Its curriculum has also grown. In addition to the preschool and kindergarten classes it has always offered, this fall the school is launching Terrific Two’s, a program geared specifically for two-year-olds who, according to Canine, often get overlooked in early education.
‘You can gain a whole lot more from a two-year-old than you think,? she said.
While most pedagogical approaches ignore the age group, Canine said it is a time when children are receptive to acquiring language skills, socio-emotional skills and character education.
‘This is not the babysitter club. It’s a place where the child is learning,? she said.
Parents can enroll their two-year-old in the program for as little as six hours a week, or up to five full days a week. Class meets Monday through Friday mornings from 9:00 a.m.’noon.? Afternoon classes meet Monday through Friday from 1:00?4:00 p.m. There is a $100 registration fee, and weekly prices vary depending on how many hours a week the child is enrolled: six hours is $40, 12 hours is $75, two days per week is $90, three days is $135, five full days per week is $200.
The philosophies behind the new program are similar to those Canine founded the school on three years ago: that parents everywhere are looking for an early childhood educational program that will encourage the same life skills and values that are taught in the home, that ultimately the educational experience should be an extension of a quality home, thus preparing them for the elementary school environment and learning experience.
She said she didn’t like the day-care mentality that seemed to ignore the moral/character education, as well as a sense of health and fitness.
‘At this school, we talk a lot about respect, honesty, patience, love and forgiveness,? she said. ‘All the things we’re teaching them at home. We’re really all about the total package, the mind and body approach.?
The school’s four pillars are Thinking, Learning, Nutrition, and Exercise.
‘We’re trying to give this more of a school approach than a daycare approach,? said Melissa Frank, lead teacher of the new Terrific Two’s program. ‘This is a unique program. In all my years, I have never come across a program quite like this. It’s very exciting being a part of it. It’s a very creative and hands on place.?
To learn more visit them on the web at www.schoolforthemindandbody.com.Call 248-814-7100.