“Early childhood education sets the foundation for future learning,” says Anthony Mina, owner of The Learning Experience in Basking Ridge and Warren, which were founded in 2013 and 2004 respectively.
Learning Experience—a national company of early childhood education centers for children 6 weeks to 13 years—sets the academic curriculum. “The children are engaged all throughout their day at The Learning Experience. They move through different learning centers that allow them to learn by doing interactive play and learning from our proprietary LEAP academic program,” says Regional Director Katina Medina. Children are moved to a different classroom every six months to challenge them.
The Learning Experience has offered private kindergarten—an especially crucial time for education—for over 16 years. “We’ve found our graduates are more advanced when they go to the first grade and are the ones selected for advanced programs,” says Mina.
The center puts an emphasis on language skills. In addition to phonics, children are taught Spanish and Mandarin. The technology is also state-of-the-art. “We just upgraded five smartboards,” Mina says. “It’s important for the children to keep up with the latest technology.”
Enrichment programs are integral to the curriculum, not add-ons. “Children participate in activities such as yoga, math and Music for Me,” says Johanne Alameda, School Director, Basking Ridge. “They take instructional material home for continued learning.”
For school-age children, the center provides before- and after-care, which includes breakfast, homework assistance, outdoor play and clubs. “Children can explore interests like cooking and karate through after-school clubs,” says Medina.
“I tell parents starting out that they’re going to have new friendships,” says Medina, who notes the center schedules fun family programs. “Some of the older children who grew up in the program and are in high school have returned to work for us in the afternoon.”
Both Learning Experience centers strive to be a vital part of their towns. “We succeeded in creating our own community that enhances the bigger community,” says Mina. The centers also focus on supporting causes, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation as well as local fundraisers and sponsor recreational events, such as movie nights and summer camps.
Discover more about how The Learning Experiences helps kids succeed at thelearningexperience.com/center/basking-ridge.