Choosing the right childcare is one of the most important decisions parents can make. It’s imperative that your kids are safe and happy, but also that they are in a place that
will provide both development opportunities and educational enrichment during their
formative years. As a premiere academic preschool preparing children for kindergarten,
Spring Hill Day School (SHDS) does that.
Owners Shari Brayer and Andrea Kolomiets decided to create a place that offers the
best of both when they founded SHDS, located on O’Hallorn Drive, in 2015. They bring a wealth of early childhood education experience to the table. Both have master’s degrees in education and spent nearly a decade each as kindergarten teachers in Williamson County schools. Being involved at a top level is important to them, but what really sets them apart from many corporate childcare centers is that, as independent owners, they are at the school all the time. Brayer and Kolomiets are deeply invested in the lives of each of their students, knowing them each by name.
This month they are celebrating the school’s 10-year anniversary. The school’s learning facilities are state-of the art and the engaging atmosphere is centered around hands-on lessons that will prepare children to excel in elementary school. They strive to make kids as prepared as possible to ensure they thrive upon entering kindergarten.
“We incorporate our own educator-designed academic curriculum, with a theme- based
program, High Reach Learning, a nationally recognized, award-winning curriculum,”
they share on their website. “These two components, combined with activities that
encourage an appreciation for the creative arts, music, movement and a development of
a strong sense of self, work together to create a well-balanced curriculum that provides
a strong foundation for a lifelong love of learning.”
What’s unique about Spring Hill Day School is that all students engage in the same
subject matter and curriculum. They learn the content differently depending on their
age, but the entire school will learn about a topic—such as the seasons—at the
same time, just in different ways. This allows siblings to come home and share what
they’ve learned in their separate classrooms, but they can still have that shared
commonality of the content.
The school operates on an elementary school-style schedule when it comes to
assigning kids to classes. Rather than children moving to a different class when their birthday comes around each year, they are promoted at the beginning of each academic year in August. This allows them to stay in an environment with their friends and teachers that they’re familiar with.
“The rooms that they begin in August, they finish in May,” says Brayer. “They don't age up when they have a birthday. The children start and stay together with their class all year.”
SHDS follows the Williamson Country Schools calendar, making it convenient for families that also have school-aged children enrolled in those schools.
The day school is also seen as a more affordable option for the area because rather
than the typical 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. schedule offered by many childcare centers, they operate on a 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. schedule for parents who want or need a shorter day for their children.
The staff at Spring Hill Day School loves giving the families of their students occasions
to be involved in their school experience. “We like to offer a lot of family involvement
opportunities," Kolomiets says of events like holiday parties. “Parents are all invited to come into the classroom and socialize with other parents and be hands-on and involved in the events that we do. Basically, we have one almost every month. It gives them an opportunity to come in and meet the other families and their children’s new friends."
The school offers a well-balanced mix of teacher and student-led activities,
independent playtime, circle time, and hands-on activities that all focus on that specific
week’s curriculum. Additionally, they offer week-long camps throughout the summer,
which focus on different summer themes. What’s nice is that this coming summer, parents can enroll their children in as many camps as they’d like and pay for just those specific weeks, rather than the entire summer, which helps with busy summer schedules.
Join in celebrating their 10th anniversary this year at their Spring Fling event in early
April. The community-focused event will have lots of fun activities for families to take
part in. Families can take advantage of this year’s open enrollment in February by emailing
info@springhilldayschool.com and then coming for a visit to meet the teachers, receive
enrollment information, and take a tour of the school.