Child care and preschool in one prepares to open
Busy Minds Academy will be both a preschool and a child care center. Children between the ages of 6 weeks and 5 years can be enrolled, according to owner Tanya Murray.
The newly remodeled building on Forest Hills Blvd., close to the Boys & Girls Club, opens at 7 a.m. The schedule is yearround, so care is available during school breaks and summer vacation. Children must be picked up by 6 p.m. They can attend either full-time or part-time.
There are three classrooms and children will be assigned to one by age. Seven teachers are employed by the center, with space for 41 children. Even the youngest class has a curriculum, Murray said
“We will probably spend more time outside than many other child care centers,” she said. Some of the outdoor time is also part of a nature-based curriculum, but there will also be time for free play.
A music teacher will visit twice a week, she said.
When they graduate from Busy Minds, 5-yearolds will be ready to start kindergarten, she promised.
When the center opens on Aug. 3, Murray believes some parents who have been trying to work from home will be enrolling children part-time so they can finally get their own work done. She thinks the location will make that convenient for both Bella Vista and Gravette parents.
Murray has five children of her own who she homeschooled. She also has a degree in sociology which isn’t that different from education, she said, explaining that sociology is the study of the behavior of people in groups. She has worked in childcare in the past.
With one class already full, Murray sees a need in the area for child care. When she saw the building, which is close to her home, she knew it was perfect for a preschool. Then she decided that she would be the one to open it.
“I’m just excited to bring this to Bella Vista,” she said.
For more information, visit www.busymindsacademy.com or call 479256-9180.