Thursday, July 31, 2008

Peppermint pre-school under new ownership

Peppermint Tree Pre-School & Child Care Center in south Fort Myers is under new ownership and students and parents are seeing a difference.

The 5,500-square-foot building tucked away on Liberty Square Circle has been repurchased by Lucia Zaikov and her husband Stuart.

The couple originally purchased the daycare center in 1996 and sold it to another child care center who agreed to a 10-year lease in the building.

"We've been here about a month now and we are working to redo everything in the rooms and offer parents more," said Zaikov about the center who offers Montessori-style instruction. "Every room was emptied and everything was purchased new."

The new equipment, though, isn't all Zaikov has focused on. She has also offered on-site training for existing staff and is working to hire more qualified teachers. Most of the teachers have associates or bachelors degrees apart from their teachers' certifications.

"The majority of parents stayed with us after the switch because of our quality of care," said Zaikov who kept Heather Madden, director of the center from the previous school as well as most of the teachers. "They know we have clean classrooms and loving teachers."

The center offers a V.P.K. program for parents who want to prepare their little ones for kindergarten on Sept. 1.

"We are one of the few places that offers it and parents like that their kids learn so much before they get to school," said Madden about the hands-on learning instruction.

The instruction is created by the teachers and focuses on a child's ability to work independently and feel like they've accomplished something, Zaikov said.

The Zaikovs have seven other schools in the New Jersey area and Lucia Zaikov has a master's degree in education.

Peppermint Tree offers parents not only instruction but children spend time on a bounce house and gymnastics bus once-a-week.

"They get a lot ... morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack," Madden said about the center that has more than 15 teachers who take care of children six weeks to 48 months. "They also get other classes like computer classes or dance for an extra fee."

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