An advantage we have with The Grove School is the ability to leverage the resources of a national expert in child development and education. Knowledge Universe is our taproot, that strong, central root that anchors a tree. Because of our relationship to them, we can be the nimble offshoot that grows quickly and purposefully in response to the needs of our neighborhood schools and the families we serve.
Knowledge Universe has cared for and educated more children than any other single entity in the country, and while we learn something new every day, we know children and education.
Hundreds of thousands of children have learned their colors and shapes, how to read and write, and been prepared for their academic careers at a Knowledge Universe center or school. We’re so proud of that fact, and we are very much looking forward to sharing those important milestones with the children and families of The Grove School.
When the first two schools open in January 2010, our first corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative will focus on tree planting.
We think there are a number of reasons why tree planting is a good fit for The Grove School. It’s something that benefits the local community. It strongly connects to our promise to promote a healthy mind, body and planet. It encourages participation by children, teachers, family, and community members. And there are a number of ways it ties back to our curriculum.
As with any CSR initiative we undertake, tree planting is something that children can do (with adult help, of course!). It also nicely demonstrates cause-and-effect, both in the way a tree grows and in the way a project like this can make a positive effect in a neighborhood.
And of course, we’re THE GROVE SCHOOL—we love trees!
I interviewed the Head of School candidates in Cary, and I can say in all seriousness that it was inspiring. The people we spoke with were beyond our expectations–they were energetic, passionate, incredibly credentialed, and diverse.
We loved that beyond their impressive qualifications, they were all energized about what The Grove School stood for as well. This was perhaps the first concrete evidence for me that we had a truly appealing concept. These amazing educators were so eager to jump in and help us build it.
Our Head of School in Cary, Scott Andersen, will have any incredible impact on The Grove School–both at his school and for all schools moving forward. He’s truly an inspirational guy to speak with. I know that he will help us learn and improve on these first two schools, pushing us above and beyond what we hoped to accomplish.
Choosing the first two markets for The Grove School was an exciting and interesting exercise.
Part of it was definitely demographics. But demographics alone would never have got us there. We needed to find the right communities that would be a good fit for The Grove School. We looked at the types of parents in the area, the kinds of businesses, the activities the local governments were focusing on, the non-profits in the area. All of which were aimed at giving us a total picture of an area.
We also realized that we could be more “Grove-like” by using a facility that was already existing and could be “recycled,” instead of building something new. So we looked at the facilities we owned, compared them with the rest of the criteria, and ultimately landed on Cary, North Carolina and Plano, Texas. These are two great communities that really value education, health and sustainability.






