Two Wesley Chapel families’ shared belief in the value of early childhood education has led them to dedicate their professional lives to operating their own schools in New Tampa and Carrollwood.
Penny and Matt McCallister operate the Primrose School on Cross Creek Blvd., about two miles east of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., while Sandy and Shi Deng operate both the Primrose School of Tampa Palms, located across from Liberty Middle School, as well as the Primrose School about 20 minutes from New Tampa on Bearss Ave. in Carrollwood.
Their schools are franchises of the Marietta, GA-based Primrose Schools chain of educational child care centers. There are age-specific options ranging from full-time care and instruction for infants (from six weeks old) and toddlers, to after-school programs for elementary students ages 5 to 12, as well as pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) and kindergarten classes.
Primrose uses a uniform, research- based proprietary curriculum across all of its schools that the company has trademarked as Balanced Learning®. According to Primrose’s marketing materials, this curriculum, “balances purposeful play with nurturing guidance to encourage curiosity, creativity, confidence and compassion.”
Penny McCallister, who is an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP), with a Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) degree in (specializing in pediatrics) from the University of Florida in Gainesville, says the goal is to prepare Primrose students to deal with life outside of the classroom as well as within it.
“We don’t focus only on academics here,’’ McCallister says. “We focus on character development.”
That includes teaching children basic manners, such as saying “please” and “thank you,” as well as involving them in the schools’ community projects, such as food drives for Metropolitan Ministries and the food pantry at Bay Chapel Church in New Tampa.
To Sandy Deng, there’s an important lesson about generosity to be learned through the projects.
“We want to teach the children about giving back without expecting anything in return,” she says.
In addition to providing an orientation for their students’ moral compasses, Primrose Schools equip them with life skills, such as resolving conflicts in a positive way, says Dominique Rock, who is the school director for the Carrollwood campus, but who also speaks as the mother of three Primrose students.
“I see a huge difference when I see my children with other children,” she says. “I want them to be academically competent, but I also want them to be good people.”
To which Matt McCallister adds, “Who children become is just as important as what they learn.”
Preparing students for academic success is based on age-appropriate instruction that combines applying educational research with a teacher’s ability to harness a child’s natural curiosity. It’s an approach that Matt expresses confidence in for its ability to educate pre-school minds.
“I think we have the best academic program there is,” says Matt, who has a Master in Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando.
Primrose teachers and staff are trained and certified in accordance with the positions they hold, such as that all of the preschool teachers have a Child Development Associate (CDA) certification (which can be awarded as an associate’s degree or as a stand-alone certificate) and maintaining qualifications required by the Florida Department of Children & Families (DCF).
All staff members are certified to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and Primrose provides additional professional instruction that it develops to promote quality and maintain consistency throughout its campuses.
Academic instruction is woven into all aspects of the school routine, including playful breaks from classroom learning.
“We don’t just let them go out on the playground,” says Penny. “They do a teacher-guided activity as well as have free time.”
Hannah Moody is the early preschool lead teacher at the Cross Creek campus. She says she ensures the joy of learning is ever-present. “You have to make sure the kids have fun,” says Moody. “If we’re teaching colors and numbers and the kids aren’t interested, you have to take that extra step to make it awesome.”
She says that adding awesomeness to a lesson might mean interjecting mermaids and dinosaurs into a math lesson, or employing the ultimate teaching tool: “Boxes are the greatest thing ever,” says Moody, who’s known to transform cardboard into just about anything, from castles to horses.
Providing peace of mind to parents whose children attend Primrose schools is another way the Dengs and McCallisters fulfill their obligations as caretakers and educators of other people’s children. The campuses are secure, with building access limited and staff members keeping a watchful eye on the premises, promptly asking visitors about their purpose for being there.
“Safety is first,” says Shi Deng, who also has an MBA from UCF.
Parents are informed about their kids’ activities with daily progress reports, including photographs and video clips depicting what happened that day.
According to Sandy Deng, operating Primrose schools creates substantial bonds between the students and the staff.
“It’s like a family and we love watching them grow,” says Sandy, who has an M.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from UCF. She adds that one of the most rewarding aspects of running Primrose Schools awaits her at the beginning of each day. “Every morning I get to see the children’s big, beautiful smiles,” Sandy says.
One principle that Shi Deng says is crucial to the successful operation of his schools is to fulfill his responsibilities to the employees who care for the children.
“It has to be a virtuous cycle,” says Shi. “If I treat my employees well, the employees will take care of the children.”
Shi, who is a licensed real estate Broker with Ambassador Realty Group, adds that one way he is able to create stability for his staff is to help them purchase a home by acting as their buyer’s agent and contributing his commission to the closing costs.
Buying In All The Way
As Primrose School franchisees, the Dengs and McCallisters both own their own businesses, but their commitment to the kind of education they offer also is personal, with both families’ children enrolled in Primrose schools.
Soon after the Dengs enrolled their son as an infant at a Primrose school in Orlando when they were living there, they became enthusiastic about what the franchise had to offer.
“When our son started school there, we thought, ‘Wow, how amazing would it be if we could get into this business and help shape the younger generation and help them build a strong foundation for the future?,’’’ says Sandy.
The Dengs’ son now participates in the Explorer after-school program, while the McCallisters’ youngest child attends their preschool program and their two older, elementary school-age children attended the summer camp and occasionally attend the after-school Explorers program, as well.
The enthusiasm that the McCallisters and Dengs have for Primrose Schools is shared by parents like Dana Terrigino of Easton Park in New Tampa, who has one child in the infant program and two children participating in the after-school program at Primrose School of Cross Creek.
“Everybody who’s there has such a caring and open and friendly personality,” says Terrigino. “You can see the different aspects of their curriculum and I was just so impressed with the way that they handle the education of the children. You really feel like it’s a school.”
For more info about Primrose School of Cross Creek (10301 Cross Creek Blvd.), visit PrimroseCrossCreek.com or call 994-6800. For the Primrose School of Tampa Palms (5307 Primrose Lake Cir.), visit PrimroseTampaPalms.com or call 975-4000. To reach the Primrose School of Carrollwood (1770 W. Bearss Ave.), call 398-8607 or visit PrimroseCarrollwood.com. Also, see the ad on pg. 27.
No comment yet, add your voice below!