Admissions
Hopefully you've looked around and The Grove School feels like a great place for your child. Fantastic! We’d love to meet up with you in person, answer your questions and tell you more first hand. Shoot us an e-mail or give us a call and we’ll get back to you shortly.
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Careers
We're looking for rare individuals. Teachers with degrees in early childhood or environmental education and a fire in the belly to make a difference. Administrators with a head for business and a heart for helping children reach their full potential. People who are so invested that they'll stay with us for years, growing and developing our educational community. Is that you?
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Let's play
Kids learn through play, but what about the grown ups? The Grove School is a playground for everyone. Join the fun!
(Psst, you can move the colored circles with your mouse.)
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  • our head of school

    our staff

    local families

    work with us

  • Dr. Scott Andersen has a diverse and unusual background. His degrees include an Ed.D., Ed.S., M.S. in literary science and educational technology, and a B.S. in computer science. He worked as a software developer and award-winning photojournalist, taught Spanish, English, math and technology in public school, was an adjunct professor of digital-video editing, and served as a principal and superintendent of schools. On top that Scott has seven children and enjoys cycling, running, hiking and all things outdoors.

  • our head of school

    our staff

    local families

    work with us

  • At The Grove School, children spend this crucial learning time with highly qualified educators. Our teachers are required to have degrees and credentials in early childhood or environmental education. They bring deep expertise into the classroom to make the first taste of subjects like math and solar energy fun and memorable. Connecting regularly with parents is also part of their job. Emails and tweets replace paper updates on each child’s progress and activities.

  • our head of school

    our staff

    local families

    work with us

  • The families who send their children to The Grove School are your friends and neighbors. They're the people you see on the playground, run into at the library and wave at out the window. We're all about being your local school and building a tight-knit community that reflects what's important to you.

  • our head of school

    our staff

    local families

    work with us

  • What if you worked at a preschool where you can use your education, creativity and passion to actually teach? Where you’re expected to bring an innovative curriculum to life? And where you build lifelong relationships with parents and children? It’s an amazing opportunity to make a positive impact on children’s lives at a school with a unique sense of purpose. Learn more about careers at The Grove School.

 
 
 

In any organization, company, team, group, etc., the difference between being just good and being GREAT always boils down to people.  In support of this, a CEO of a major company once said when asked to name the top five factors that led to his company’s success, replied with the following (as told in Jim Collins’ book Good to Great):

  1. “One would be people.
  2. Two would be people.
  3. Three would be people.
  4. Four would be people.
  5. And five would be people.”

As you know, our school is growing.  As a result, we are going through the process of looking for the best and the brightest teachers to grow with us.

And it is not an easy task!

Because our standards and expectations are so high and our program is so unique, it takes a very talented and unique teacher for our students and our school.  In the past month, we have received hundreds of resumes to review from all over the country.  We are honored to have so much interest from folks wanting to be a part of our school.  While that is a blessing, it is also a curse.  It does take a lot of our time, both Sarah (our Education Manager) and I, to review the incoming resumes and decide who should go forward in the selection process.

I would estimate that about 20% of the applicants move forward to the next phase which is a screening interview.  While I was doing my doctoral research at the University of Georgia, one of the professors I worked with published a study on hiring the right people.  Unfortunately, he found that even the best predictor of whether an employee would be a good fit for your organization was only correct about 21% of the time.  Starting with 100 applicants and by merging those two numbers, the 20% of applicants that move forward and the best predictor of a good fit being about 21%, that brings us to about 4 applicants out of 100 that are likely to be a good fit.

We cannot and will not settle for mediocre or average.  We must have exceptional talent.  For that reason, we have adopted the approach that Collins outlines in his book: “When in doubt, don’t hire and keep looking.”  As we rapidly grow and the pressure to hire staff to meet the demands of our incoming families increases, this approach can be quite scary!

The corollary to that is that we may need to limit our growth based upon our ability to find enough of the right people.  In a business sense, this corollary is equally scary.  No business would ever want to turn away customers, especially in today’s economy.  Naturally, we want every customer possible.

I am thrilled to report that our efforts and patience are paying off.  We have a lot of talent in our pipeline and are getting ready to bring on board a few more wonderfully talented teachers.  We anticipate our hiring to continue through the fall with our commensurate growth.

The pressure will continue to be on our leadership team to continually attract, hire and retain the right people.   After all, people make all the difference…the right people that is!

Scott, a.k.a. Dr. Andersen, is our Head of School in Cary, NC. He brings 16 years of experience as a teacher and school/district administrator. He has also worked as a photojournalist and software developer.

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Hello, I’m Opal Coleman. I’m a Master Teacher here at The Grove School.

Since 1992, I’ve worked as a Director or Family Enrichment Specialist with the Grady Independent School District, The Gould Child Development Center, and the Arkansas Better Chance (ABC, No Child Left Behind) Program. I also owned and operated Opal’s Early Start Learning Academy.

I hope to offer all of your children my creativity and unique artistic vision. I’m so impressed with The Grove School’s innovative approach to teaching and learning, and I’m especially thrilled about the Art and Theater strands infused in the curriculum.

I hold a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Community Education. I also have an associate degree in Childhood Development, and I’m certified as a Childhood Development Advisor.

I’ve received numerous academic awards and scholarships, but three of the most notable acknowledgments are:

1) State Inspections—a 100% approval rating on all of my state inspections with a score of 95% or better for more than 15 years.
2) Live Television Recording—I served as an expert panelist on “AETN Television Educational Network Back to School.
3) Grant Award—I authored and was awarded a start up grant for Opal’s Early Start Learning Academy.

I’m eager to meet you and your children!

Wendy is our Head of School in Plano, TX. She has deep community ties, having spent 15 years with the Plano ISD in various teaching, administrative and leadership roles. In addition to her zeal for helping children learn, Wendy enjoys being in the great outdoors with her family.

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Hi, I’m Sara Dennis. I received a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in Development, Family Studies, and Early Childhood Education. I’m married to Joshua and have two hairless dogs, Echo and Eyris.

I have four years of experience teaching children newborn to age five. Other passions I enjoy are gardening, the outdoors, nature, mountain bike riding, traveling, and photography.

I want to welcome our new families! The first day of school is upon us and everyone is exuberant about the new The Grove School. We are truly blessed to teach in an eco-friendly environment and use our talents to teach children about taking care of our bodies, our minds, and our planet.

The future of a child’s development lies in our hands as parents and teachers. The roots of a child’s development continue to develop from birth until age 5, when the brain expands the most allowing an enormous amount of learning to be established. Thereafter, development is only fine tuned and further enhanced. Therefore, early education in a preschool is crucial to the life skills of a child’s future.

Wendy is our Head of School in Plano, TX. She has deep community ties, having spent 15 years with the Plano ISD in various teaching, administrative and leadership roles. In addition to her zeal for helping children learn, Wendy enjoys being in the great outdoors with her family.

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Hi! My name is Kathryn Qualia and I am very excited about the opportunity to teach the Early Preschool program at The Grove. I fell in love with the idea of strengthening our children’s minds, bodies and spirit all while teaching them to be aware of our community and environment. I believe this falls in place with the kind of teacher I already am.

Previously, I worked intensely as a classroom teacher for 10 years at the elementary school level. I consider it my responsibility to make sure that each student had a solid foundation before transitioning to the next grade level. My educational philosophy is based on changing strategies and lessons to fit the needs of a classroom and to find out what works to raise student achievement. I know firsthand that if you provide support, training and guidance to students, they will have success in the classroom. I know that working at The Grove School is the next step in making a bigger difference in the education system in Texas.

I was born and raised in Kenosha, Wisconsin. I went to college at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis where I earned my Bachelor of Science in Child Psychology. After college, I moved to Texas and attended Texas Women’s University to complete my teaching certificate. I hold a teaching certificate in General Elementary, Special Education and English as a Second Language. strongly feel that my background and experience makes me a patient, kind, dedicated and organized educator.

I have been married almost 5 years to my husband, Stuart, and we have three beautiful, active children. Emma is 3, Maggie is 2 and Alex is 6 months old. I also credit my children in making me a patient person!!!

I look forward to meeting my students and parents!

Wendy is our Head of School in Plano, TX. She has deep community ties, having spent 15 years with the Plano ISD in various teaching, administrative and leadership roles. In addition to her zeal for helping children learn, Wendy enjoys being in the great outdoors with her family.

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Sue Davies

Susan has been married for 27 years to her husband, Barry, and is the mother of three daughters–Amanda, Katie and Emily. Her children have been a blessing to her. Caring, teaching and loving them has reinforced her desire to be an educator of young children. She has over 20 years experience working with young children.

As an early childhood educator, Susan is determined to be a positive influence in the lives of children by providing an environment that is safe, stimulating and developmentally appropriate. She takes great pleasure in seeing children each and every day and being able to contribute to their growth process. It warms her heart to wipe away tears and find a smile, to provide a hug when a friend takes away a toy and to help build up a tower that broke apart. These gestures are simple, but they are so important to a child.

Scott, a.k.a. Dr. Andersen, is our Head of School in Cary, NC. He brings 16 years of experience as a teacher and school/district administrator. He has also worked as a photojournalist and software developer.

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Since mid-October, I have been writing, blogging and making videos about the progress that has been taking place with the facility, furniture and equipment for The Grove School of Cary. It has been thrilling to watch this facility transform from a bare shell of a building into a state-of–the art and environmentally friendly learning environment. Some of you have shared this journey with me.

Well, Monday, January 4th marks the most important arrival of all for The Grove School – our teachers. The best thing we do for our children in any school environment is to put a highly trained and child-centered teacher in the classroom with them each and every day. We have scoured applications from hundreds of teachers from around the country and have selected a wonderful cadre of highly trained professionals who not only embrace the early learning philosophy, but do so with a commitment to instill the ideals of “healthy body, healthy mind and healthy planet” throughout the school day.

The Grove School leadership, at all levels, recognizes and values the role that teachers play in the teaching and learning process. It is the teachers who, in concert with the parents, work the real magic. It is the teachers who will creatively guide, shape, inspire, motivate, stretch, challenge, correct, and praise our children as they begin this most important journey of learning.

I hold great anticipation of the many wonderful experiences the students of The Grove School will have in their expert hands.

Yes, the building is wonderful. Our furniture is beautiful and sustainable. Our technology is first class. However, more importantly, the same words describe the teachers of The Grove School. They are wonderful, beautiful and first class!

Check back soon as we will be posting videos, bios and photos of our staff. I invite you to stop by and meet all of us sometime real soon!

Scott, a.k.a. Dr. Andersen, is our Head of School in Cary, NC. He brings 16 years of experience as a teacher and school/district administrator. He has also worked as a photojournalist and software developer.

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