Acorn Learning Center provides a safe and nurturing environment for children. Their goal is to foster their development of social responsibility and self-esteem while offering parents spiritually-based parenting guidance and support.
Minka is an enthusiastic student of Waldorf-inspired education and teaching. She currently teaches both at the Sprouts Nursery and Oaks Mixed Age Kindergarten.
Acorn Learning Center’s Mission
Acorn Learning Center’s primary objective is to facilitate children’s early education by creating a warm and challenging environment where they can flourish and reach their fullest potential. Highly qualified educators work directly with each child and share their enthusiasm for the learning process with everyone. Furthermore, the Acorn community ensures a safe place for staff and students – teachers are trained in CPR/First Aid, while all new employees must pass background checks before commencing employment at Acorn.
Acorn is a non-profit organization operating on five rural acres in Hunterdon County, NJ – approximately an hour’s drive from New York City and Philadelphia, PA. Our campus consists of 5 buildings featuring classrooms for different ages: toddler, primary, and elementary buildings with playgrounds and flower and vegetable gardens for our youngest learners, each led by an experienced Montessori teacher.
Acorn offers extracurricular activities beyond their core curriculum, including Tuff Tumblers and Kinderdance classes, weekly music lessons from native Spanish speakers, biweekly Spanish lessons from a native speaker, and monthly Tumbles/Soccer lessons for their students. Parents can register their children for these extracurricular classes for added education opportunities.
Acorn boasts an exceptional faculty with backgrounds in art, music, foreign languages, and yoga/mindfulness – providing classes with an all-around education. Acorn also hosts parent education seminars.
Acorn Learning Center’s Vision
At Acorn Learning Center, they take great pride in building a solid foundation for your child’s future by instilling in them a sense of accomplishment early in life while encouraging creativity and intellectual development. Their teachers work diligently to foster each child’s individual qualities while creating a safe and nurturing learning environment.
Acorn’s teachers are all certified with degrees in education. Additionally, they receive training in first aid and CPR. All candidates must pass a background check and the State Department of Children and Families screening before being hired. Finally, each building features keypad locks requiring parents to sign in/out.
Children are provided with activities to foster their emotional and academic growth. They learn respect for other children and adults while understanding their own feelings; social development is encouraged by teaching them commitment and following through, while art, music, and storytelling activities offer more fun learning experiences than ever!
Minka is an assistant teacher in our Oaks mixed-age Kindergarten. She brings a genuine enthusiasm for her students’ well-being to her work and an eye and knack for organization to her position. Minka lives in Kingston with her husband Taras (a custom base finisher with his company) and their cat. Both are avidly interested in anything lighter-than-air; together, they enjoy taking flights off their front lawn in their solid blue hot-air balloon, BluRadius!
Acorn Learning Center’s Core Values
Children at this center can express themselves creatively, while teachers respect individual personalities and gifts. Staff is committed to holistically developing each child and believes each has an incredible capacity for learning and discovery. Security systems ensure only those with access keys are admitted into this environment.
Acorn Preschool’s curriculum is thoughtfully constructed to encourage academic and social development in its pupils. Lessons are presented when each child is ready, while the classroom environment encourages intellectual curiosity. All staff at Acorn have received early childhood education with special training in Montessori-inspired methods of instruction.
Acorn offers an engaging music lessons program, yoga/mindfulness classes, and foreign language instruction for its enrolled families. Furthermore, Acorn also features a toy library where children can borrow new toys and puzzles every two weeks! All Acorn options can be paid off over nine equal monthly installments, complete with weekly parenting seminars and access to its toy library.
Carol Jordan is Acorn’s administrator. As a certified Waldorf teacher with an MAE degree, Carol is passionate about education’s power to transform lives and is proud to be part of Acorn’s community. She looks forward to supporting students and families as they explore its vast possibilities.
Acorn Learning Center’s Philosophy
The curriculum and learning environments in each classroom at Acorn are designed to foster wonder, discovery, and learning for each child. Educationally qualified and experienced teachers create an atmosphere where children are free to discover their full potential and discover themselves. Education begins from birth at Acorn – an early foundation for academic success must be established as soon as possible.
At our school, teaching methods are inspired by Maria Montessori. Children can freely roam the classroom while working on activities of their choice in an organized atmosphere. Lessons are only delivered when children are ready to learn; social, emotional, and physical development is prioritized. Recent neurology and human development research confirms this approach to education.
Children are expected to respect the rights and feelings of others and be creative without fear of reprisal from peers or adults. Our kids learn that diversity among people is exciting and engaging – both as part of life itself and part of its beauty!
Jessie Munzenberger brings an unwavering passion for supporting children’s development and commitment to providing superior care, which are hallmarks of her service in her role as Manager for both Acorn services. Her 18 years in Education and Care demonstrate just that commitment.
