What makes the new children’s learning center in Forsyth unique? Take a look inside & see
Josh and Keri Hill had a vision for their new business: An incredible state-of-the-art academy that provides individualized learning for future success as well as a safe, loving environment for children to grow.
The 20-year residents of Forsyth and Monroe County will see that vision come to fruition on August 12, in their hometown.
It’s called the Fox Den Academy and it’s an alternative to Forsyth’s current daycare offerings. The facility is located at 185 Thornton Road in Forsyth and provides a number of unique, specialized offerings for kids.
For starters, all children 2 and up will have family-style dining together in a cafeteria, which will allow them to serve themselves, learn portion control and try new foods.
Speaking of foods, there won’t be any frozen, fried or unhealthy offerings because there is a full commercial kitchen at the Fox Den. And with it, comes a chef cooking fresh made-from-scratch meals every day.
“We believe that in order for the scholars to be able to excel in their learning, they must also have healthy choices for their meals,” Josh said.
Another unique offering: a farm-to-table eating experience. Children will be able to plant and grow their own fruits and vegetables in raised garden beds outside of the facility. Once they are ready to harvest, kids will pick fresh ingredients for the chef to include in their daily dishes.
The learning center will also have a special STEM/STEAM room (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) for children to learn coding, robotics and more in new hands-on experiences. Even infants will be able to learn in this room because they can tune their fine motor skills and tinker with shadow and light play.
Of course, we can’t forget the Fox Den’s rigorous curriculum.
“We chose the state-approved curriculum, Frog Street, because this platform offers rich oral language and vocabulary instruction to help achieve critical milestones in learning,” explained Josh.
“All scholars (what we call our students) are taught age-appropriate and individualized curriculum, which focuses on foundations of literacy as well as numeracy. Scholars are taught social-emotional skills and incorporate music and movement as part of their learning,” he said.
Michelle Blount, the director of the learning center, said that the students will even learn sign language and Spanish at an early age.
In addition to the center’s academic curriculum, the Fox Den will offer after-school care for the students who need help getting their homework done.
“This allows us to give parents more quality one-on-one time with their children after school. This way, they are able to have more meaningful evenings together,” Blount said.
Not only can parents trust that the Fox Den will help get homework done, but they can also trust that their children are with passionate teachers.
“I have personally interviewed over 400 candidates for our staff jobs,” Blount said.
She explained that each staff member took part in a three-part interview process and had a leadership team further evaluate each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. At a minimum, each co-teacher has a Child Development Associate (CDA) and each lead teacher has at least one degree in education.
Last, but certainly not least, are the detailed security measures at the Fox Den.
The learning center will only have two unlocked doors throughout the whole building and these are the two front entrance doors. All other doors are locked and protected by keypads. Only staff members and parents will have access to the keypads, which are protected by six-digit codes and special cards.
“Each classroom is equipped with a Nightlock Lockdown system. This device, when implemented, acts as a barricade/door jammer withstanding up to 2,000 pounds of pressure, making the classroom impenetrable,” said Josh.
Each classroom has black-out blinds installed so that no potential intruders can see into the rooms. In addition, regular drills will be held to ensure staff and children are well prepared for any emergency.
Parents can also check on their children at any point during the day with the Fox Den’s KidsVision app, which allows access to the facility’s cameras.
The academy is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. with the academic day from 7:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Prices range from $175 to $250 a week, depending on age and extended hours.
Private tours of the Fox Den facility are open to the public when scheduled. Call 478-370-8648 or email [email protected] for more information.
Is your child enrolled at this learning center? What are you most excited about your child doing/learning here? Let me know in the comments or email me at [email protected].
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