The Grove Early Learning Center

Come be a part of something special with us. Now Hiring Teachers!

Today we celebrated Tea’s 1st Anniversary with us! Time really goes by fast when you’re having fun (or you’re a teacher of two year olds!). From the moment Tea stepped into our community, she brought a sense of calm, nurturing, and positive perspective. She is one of those teachers that truly sees the potential in every child, and finds a way to unlock it through observation, play and love. She goes above and beyond for not only her students, but she is also a team player and willing to step in to support any of our staff! We have enjoyed watching Tea find her footing with the Reggio-Emilia philosophy this past year, and diving into Project Work with her classroom. We are thrilled to see what this next year brings for Tea! Thank you for all you do for our team, the children, families and our community.

Today the Hickory Classroom (ages 4 & 5) had a very special visitor! Our very own Chef Kevin and Hickory’s teacher, Ms. Kendall collaborated together to bring an immersive experience in the classroom based off the book, “Stone Soup” by Ann McGovern. As Kevin read the book, each child had the opportunity to come up to add an ingredient to the pot, similarly to the story. For those who are not familiar with the book, the story emphasizes that by working together and contributing what little the members of a community has, it can create something wonderful and abundant, even from seemingly nothing (like a stone in water).

Once the soup was combined, Kevin took the soup back to the kitchen for cooking and the class ate it with lunch later. While it was cooking, the kids gave ideas and predictions of what it might taste like. Overall, the consensus was that the soup was a little too spicy for their liking! All the children were immediately asking when they will have a chance to cook again with Chef Kevin! Thank you Kevin and Kendall for facilitating this experience and the importance of community with our students!

We are hiring! If you know someone who would make a great addition to our team and community, share away!

Today some of our classes ventured outside to explore in the puddles! Not only is messy play fun for our children, but it also turns our brains ON! They are experimenting, hypothesizing, testing ideas and limits, problem solving and so much more. Messy play isn’t just “fun”, it’s meaningful!

Painting is:
Artistic expression and creativity
Fine motor development
Gross motor development
Language development
Being allowed to get messy!

Happy 1st Anniversary, Colleen! As we celebrate her first anniversary with us, we reflect on how much she brings to our team, and center as a whole. Colleen came to our center with an abundance of early childhood knowledge and best practices across a range of age groups. She continues to share that knowledge among peers and families. Colleen values team work and collaboration within her age group and extends it to others. She is always willing to plan a social night, pick up/drop off a coworker, offer expertise or simply be a person to lean on for a helping hand! When we move into this next year, we are excited to see what is in store for her! Thank you for all you do for our team, the children, families and our community.

For those who were planning on attending this weekend, they have postponed!

As we monitor weather, our priority is for the safety of our school partners and all visitors.

We will be rescheduling School Saturday City Wide Open House from this Saturday, Jan. 24th to NEXT Saturday, January 31st at the same time, 10-Noon.

We look forward to seeing everyone then!

Are you thinking ahead to summer care? So are we! Please help us by filling out this survey and sharing with your friends. We are surveying the need of the community for K-5th grade summer care.

Community Interest: After School & Summer Camp Care We’re exploring expanding our programming to include school-age after-care and a school-age summer camp! Your input will help us understand community needs and shape what these programs could look like. Thank you for taking 3–5 minutes to share your thoughts.

This month we also celebrated Aurora’s 2nd year with us! Many of you know Aurora as a member of our Support Teacher Team, traveling through multiple classrooms each day. What you may not see is just how essential this role is at The Grove. Our support teachers are not only knowledgeable in one age group. They demonstrate flexibility, adaptability, and a deep understanding of child development across every classroom they enter.

Aurora consistently brings kindness, leadership, and confidence into each space she steps into. In doing so, she helps cultivate those same strong characteristics in both our students and the colleagues who work alongside her. Over time, we’ve had the privilege of watching her grow professionally and embrace new challenges with enthusiasm and grace.

We are thrilled to share that Aurora will be transitioning into a new role as the Administrative and Classroom Support Assistant. She brings with her strong organizational skills, excellent time-management, efficiency, and a deep sense of reliability. We know these strengths (and many others!) will shine through as she takes on this new chapter. We can’t wait to see what the next year brings!