Starfish Academy

10/30/2025

We have officially closed our doors.. Thank you to all of our families for sharing your sweet babies with us ❤️

09/15/2025

After many attempts to relocate our center, and no luck, Starfish will be closing ours doors as of October 24th. We can no longer stay at our current location. It has been a pleasure to serve and work with all our families. Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with us! ⭐️ 

08/19/2025

We have fall openings for our preschool group! 🌟

08/13/2025

We have few preschool, toddler and school-age spots left for summer!

08/04/2025

Let me just start this by saying this post is not about asking students to read aloud in class.
A dyslexic student should NEVER be asked to read aloud unless they themselves volunteer to.
This post is about read-alouds, which is when an adult reads a book out aloud to students.
Whilst reading aloud to young children will not teach them to read, there are so many linguistic benefits such as building vocabulary, language comprehension and modelling fluency, not to mention the obvious emotional benefits.
Picture books are lexical reservoirs, this means a collection of words, particularly those found in written text, that expands a child’s vocabulary beyond their everyday spoken language.
Reading one picture book per day provides young children with exposure to 78,000 words a year (Logan, Justice, Yumus, & Chapparro-Moreno, 2019)
But as children grow, and we concentrate more on teaching students how to read, we often overlook the continued benefits that read-alouds have for students and for older students.
Reading aloud is just as important for older kids, especially dyslexic kids.
Reading is harder and slower for dyslexic students. Consequently, they typically read less.
If they are to keep up with their peers academically, then it is essential to find additional ways to expose them to as many words and ideas as possible.
This is a challenge.
Dyslexics often encounter a gap between their reading level and their intellectual level, which can turn them off of reading altogether.
We all agree that children benefit from exposure to stories for their content, structure, and new vocabularies, but reading independently is not the only way to gain access to stories.
Read alouds gives teachers an opportunity to model reading skills like fluency, proper pronunciation, and oral expression. These conditions serve all students, but they are critical to dyslexics and essential in helping us to become proficient readers.

07/21/2025

We have openings for the fall!! Come join our family ⭐️

We have few preschool, toddler and school-age spots left for summer!

07/13/2025

Play is not just fun. It helps kids grow, solve problems, make friends, and understand their feelings. It also keeps their minds and bodies strong. Make time to play.

07/09/2025

Wish I would’ve thought of this for my own kids when they were little.. Great mom hack 🤯

07/08/2025

Parents.. check this out! Neat opportunity 😮‍💨😴

Join us for a magical afternoon where children will explore the art of winding down through playful breathwork, gentle movement, aromatherapy, and calming rituals—all designed to support better rest and nervous system health.

🗓 Date: July 26th
🕒 Time: 3–4 PM
📍 Location: Skin and Soul – 191 South Main Street, Brewer
💵 Cost: $25 per child (paid upfront to reserve your spot)

Perfect for children needing a little extra support at bedtime or those who just love relaxing routines.

Each child will go home with:
🌿 A kid-safe body butter infused with calming oils
🌿 A written care card for continuing the routine at home
🌿 A ritual card to help them check in with their body each night

We’ll be learning through play, mindfulness, and holistic tools—so parents, you’ll get to take home peaceful evenings and empowered little humans.

Spots are limited to keep it cozy. DM or text to reserve your spot! 💫

07/08/2025

We are ACCEPTING new enrollments for the Fall… 14 months to 5 years in our Toddler and Preschool programs! PM or email at [email protected]