“I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.”
Linda Creed and Michael Masser. The Greatest Love of All
Children are our greatest gifts – they carry the heritage of every generation before them, and they bear the legacy of the future. However, as precious as they are, children are born innocent, and they require a great deal of care and nurturing to help prepare them for life.
No one understands this responsibility more than Audra Curry, the president of the Learning Academy in Hendersonville. The Learning Academy is a state-licensed childcare and education facility that serves infants, toddlers, preschoolers and pre-kindergartners. From Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. until 6 p.m., Audra and her team of compassionate caregivers work hard to prepare local children for the challenges of kindergarten and beyond.
“Preparing our children for the future is a privilege that we take seriously each day,” says Audra. “The responsibility is great, but so are the rewards, such as watching a child’s face light up when he or she accomplishes something for the first time, and seeing the look of relief on a parent’s face when they find us and see us as their child’s home away from home.”
Audra’s journey into childcare and early childhood began over thirty years ago when she was studying business education at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. To help pay her college expenses, Audra began working at a nearby childcare center where she helped take care of infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
“Working at the childcare center changed my life by allowing me to experience the wonderful feeling of being able to make a difference in the lives of children and their families,” says Audra. “After I graduated from college, I left childcare for a while to pursue a different career. However, before long, I realized how much I missed caring for and teaching children, and I soon returned to childcare for good.”
For the next twenty years, Audra worked for a rapidly growing preschool company in Murfreesboro where she held numerous roles, ranging from assistant director to director. She eventually became part of the management team that was responsible for opening new locations across Middle Tennessee, including Smyrna, Laverne and eventually, Hendersonville.
During 2013, the company decided to make some strategic business changes, including selling its Hendersonville location. Upon hearing about the planned sale, Audra saw an opportunity to make the jump from director to business owner.
“I was excited by both the prospect of owning my own business and being able to make an impact in children’s lives in a community like Hendersonville,” says Audra. “After talking through the details with my husband, Curt, we both agreed that the time was right, so we purchased the Hendersonville center and opened The Learning Academy on Sept. 3, 2013.”
Since that time, The Learning Academy has helped ease the journey from diapers to kindergarten for youngsters all across Hendersonville. The center has also eased the minds of working parents by providing a safe, nurturing facility for their children.
“At The Learning Academy, we strive to have a ‘family feel’ to our environment,” says Audra. “Our amazing team members truly care about our children, and they work hard to form and maintain strong, loving relationships with them and their families.”
The center has also thrived due in part to its emphasis on developing the ‘whole’ child.
“Our approach to preschool learning and kindergarten readiness involves helping children master critical skills in the four major developmental domains – physical, cognitive, language and social-emotional,” says Audra. “We use the top-ranked Creative Curriculum system to engage children’s interests in different learning areas, and we supplement it with age-appropriate handwriting and reading programs.”
While The Learning Academy stresses learning on a year-round basis, it also incorporates healthy doses of fun, particularly during summertime. From May to September, the children enjoy a variety of fun activities, including in-house field trips and visits from special guests.
Each year, as children approach kindergarten age, Audra and her team employ special strategies to help them prepare for change.
“Transitioning to kindergarten can be very stressful,” says Audra. “We incorporate special classroom instruction and ‘cafeteria practice’ to simulate the feel of kindergarten so that children can develop independence and self-help skills. We also share resources with their families to help them ease any transitional anxiety.”
Ultimately, Audra attributes much of her success to the partnership between her staff and the families they serve.
“We are proud to be an extended part of a child’s family and village,” says Audra. “Together, we help shape all of our futures.”
The Learning Academy, Inc.
101 Business Court,
Hendersonville, TN 37075
615.909.2026
“At The Learning Academy, we strive to have a ‘family feel’ to our environment."