Using The Montessori Method
Prepare Your Child For Their Entry to Kindergarten
Using The Montessori Method and HighScope Curriculum
PRE-K | 4 - 5 years | Serving Erie, CO, Kansas City, KS & Parkville, MO
Highly-Skilled Teachers
With A Passion For Early Childhood Education
Our pre-kindergarten teachers are all state-certified and have decades of experience working with children from a variety of ages and cultural backgrounds. They regularly empower, reassure, and offer gentle guidance to every student under their care.
Child-Friendly Classrooms
That Stimulate Your Pre-Kindergartener’s Senses
Our spacious classrooms are designed with kids in mind and are outfitted with all sorts of colors, prints, patterns, and textures to stimulate their five senses and promote active learning. With our hands-on teaching style and small group sizes, your kids will be encouraged to explore the world around them with confidence and ease.
Acres of Space To Roam
and Play In Our Outdoor Recreation Areas
Whether your little ones wish to explore the plants in our fruit grove, interact with insects in our garden or run, jump and climb in our enclosed play area with their friends, we provide acres of space for them to exercise and roam to their hearts’ content!
Getting Your Little Ones
Ready for Kindergarten With Our HighScope Curriculum
The HighScope Curriculum used in our classrooms allows pre-kindergarteners to learn about the fundamentals of math, science, and literacy while making their own decisions, cooperating with their peers, and quickly absorbing knowledge through play. We believe this is the best possible curriculum to prepare them for their entry into a formal kindergarten environment.
The Montessori Method
Shapes Well-Rounded,
Vibrant Personalities
We follow the Montessori Method in our teaching style to ensure that your children are learning in the most conducive atmosphere possible. This method’s core principles include treating students with respect, showing them how to be independent, providing necessary resources, and encouraging active exploration.
Enriching Recreational
Activities Develop Fine Motor Skills and the Left Brain
Encouraging kids to express their creativity is just as important as setting them up with the necessary academic skills to succeed in a more formal kindergarten environment. Enriching activities such as yoga, dance, art, singing, music, Spanish, and more are offered daily in our programming to stimulate the left brain and help your children sharpen their fine motor skills.
COR Advantage Ensures
Parents Never Miss A Beat
Wondering what your pre-kindergartener has been up to all day? Thanks to the convenience of our mobile app COR Advantage, you’ll gain access to tri-annual assessments, daily updates, photos, and direct messages from teachers with just a few clicks.
Nutritious Breakfast,
Lunch, Snacks, and
Beverages Provided Daily
Just because food is healthy, doesn’t mean that it needs to taste bland! We serve a delicious breakfast and lunch daily, made from the highest-quality ingredients and free of nuts, dyes, or preservatives. Snacks and beverages are also included.
Positive Thinking and Gratitude Are Encouraged At Every Turn
It can be all too easy for kids to get caught up in the action of daily life and forget how lucky they are to be surrounded by their loving family and friends. Grace is said before every meal, and we make it a point to incorporate gratitude concepts into our daily programming.
We Implement Over 30 Environmental Best Practices
To Keep Your Kids Safe
Our teaching team is conscious of the fact that water, air quality and other factors can have a significant impact on kids’ health. We are proudly Eco-Healthy Child Care® Certified and adhere to a list of environmental best practices such as avoiding PVC toys, using toxin-free cleaning supplies, and more in our facility.
Hear What Parents Have To Say...
"Our daughter is welcomed each morning with a warm smile..."
We found Ms. Pamela Piekarski, who has 40 years of early education experience, is bilingual and raised three daughters, and her staff were courteous, professional and made time to address our concerns in a timely manner. Our daughter is welcomed each morning with a warm smile. I wholeheartedly recommend Exploring Minds Academy and encourage parents in need of day care to consider this center a legit possibility.
"The care in both the infant and toddler rooms has been great..."
We could not be more thrilled about Exploring Minds Academy. Its location also feels secluded and safe. The care in both the infant and toddler rooms has been great. We love the clear communication from staff and our child is excited to go to “school,” as well as excelling academically. We are consistently in awe of the center’s influence on our child’s sign language knowledge, manners, and verbal development.
"They teach my kids a lot of things like eating all their food..."
My kids love it here! Everyday they bring home something new they made and they are so proud of it. They teach my kids a lot of things like eating all their food is called "making a happy plate". They can say thank you and I want more in sign language. The staff is great and Mrs.Pamela actually cares about our life outside of school and will help you out if you have any problems going on.
"Curriculum based center focuses on learning through play with positive directives..."
Exploring Minds Academy is a curriculum based center that focuses on learning through play and redirecting with positive directives. It shows through kids that have passed through their doors that have gone on to succeed in their academics. The teachers are consistently being trained in new areas on how to teach your children. I highly recommend enrolling your children at Exploring Minds Academy!
"The staff & administration are all very trustworthy & I've never had a problem..."
My kids have been coming here since 2014 & they all have enjoyed it here. They have loved all of their teachers & have been well taken care of by all the staff over the years. The staff & administration are all very trustworthy & I've never had a problem with leaving my children here. I highly recommend enrolling your kids here as the curriculum is outstanding especially when entering kindergarten & at an affordable price.
"We have been comforted by the ample experience of many of the teachers..."
Exploring Minds has been our first and only daycare for our family and we couldn't have asked for anything more. We have really enjoyed the openness of the play area at Exploring Minds. We have been comforted by the ample experience of the teachers and have come to rely on daily reports supplied by the school. All in all, we are truly humbled to have such a dedicated team looking over the youngest member of our family.
"We absolutely love all the teachers and the smaller, more family-like feel..."
My son has been in the infant room at Exploring Minds since he was 2 and a half months old and it's been an amazing experience. We absolutely love all the teachers and the smaller, more family-like feel. He gets to be around babies/toddlers at different developmental stages, which has just been so valuable for him. We're incredibly grateful to everyone at Exploring Minds and so thankful he was able to get a spot there.
"Their days seem very well structured with times for creativity, learning and play..."
Our daughter has attended this daycare for about two years and we have been very happy with them. They are big advocates for outdoor time, which I love, and their days seem very well structured with times for creativity, learning and play. They provide healthy meals, which is a big convenience for the parents. Our toddler is happy, thriving and enjoys her days at Exploring Minds Academy.
"The staff and teachers do a great job of staying organized with activities..."
We love this cozy little center. The staff and teachers do a great job of staying organized with activities that the kids actually make or participate in. They have focused daily lessons at circle time. They also provide transportation to many other full and half day school programs. The program is truly affordable unlike most and I feel like they do just as much with the kids if not more. It may not be brand new but they are well established.
parent reviews
"We love Exploring Minds"
I have had my pre-k child here since she was 6 months. We love Exploring Minds and they spend time actually teaching, doing art, playing, and supporting the kids, as well as providing community resources to parents.
Cassiopaea Lovell
"The staff and teachers do a great job"
We love this cozy little center. The staff and teachers do a great job of staying organized with activities that the kids actually make or participate in. They have focused daily lessons at circle time. They accommodate our transportation needs by taking our child and picking him up from his pre-K program. They also provide transportation to many other full and half day school programs.
The program is truly affordable unlike most and I feel like they do just as much with the kids if not more.
Our community should help this place thrive; It has been a part of the community for a very long time. It may not be brand new, but they are well established.
Melynda Oliver
"The staff & administration are all very trustworthy"
My kids have been coming here since 2014, & they all have enjoyed it here. They have loved all of their teachers & have been well taken care of by all the staff over the years. The staff & administration are all very trustworthy, & I've never had a problem with leaving my children here. I highly recommend enrolling your kids here as the curriculum is outstanding, especially when entering kindergarten, & at an affordable price.
Kayla Gaskey