Specialties
Welcome to Brighten Academy Preschool, a research-based enrichment program for children ages 2 years to 5 years old. Children are learning from the moment they enter the world and continue to learn through every interaction they encounter. Our program is unique in that we provide above and beyond what traditional daycare and babysitting services provide. At Brighten Academy, we employ "Responsive Care" interaction strategies, which facilitate optimal brain development in preschool-aged children. We also offer a kinder-prep program that develops specific academic skills for kindergarten while fostering problem-solving, self-esteem, and social-emotional skills.
History
Established in 2008.
Research Base
More has been learned in the last 10 years about the human brain than in the last 100 years! Synapses (connections) in the brain are formed as an infant experiences the world. The connections used regularly in everyday life become reinforced, or protected, and become part of the brain's permanent "circuitry." By age 2, the number synapses a toddler has is similar to that of an adult. By age 3, the child has twice as many synapses as an adult. This large number is stable throughout the first 10 years, but by adolescence, about half of these synapses have been discarded or "pruned." The key question is: How does the brain know which synapses to keep and which ones to prune, or discard? Early experience seems to be much more critical than first realized. Experiences activate neural pathways. Information, in the form of chemical signals, gets stored along these pathways. Repeated experiences strengthen specific pathways. A particular pathway takes on a "protected".
Meet the Business Owner: Kristin P.
The Birth of "Brighten Academy"
My name is Kristin Peterson. I am the Owner/Director of Brighten Academy. The concept for "A Kinder-Prep Preschool" came from my experiences as a public school teacher. Year after year, it seemed that my 1st graders who came to me experiencing struggles academically were children who lacked confidence in their abilities. They didn't attempt, as often as other students, to question, explore, or take risks in learning. I read, researched, and discovered that during a child's first 5 years of life, they are building their self-esteem as well as problem-solving skills. From birth, they are experiencing the world and are developing senses of security. When a child feels secure, they will take more chances, explore more freely, and this is when learning takes place! The experiences children have in the first 5 years of life set the foundation for their success, motivation, and self-esteem that they will carry through with them in their academic careers as wel
