A chinchilla named Mr. Burly Clyde and a pancake tortoise named Shel Silverstein were among the animals a group of preschool and pre-kindergartn studetns were able to see and touch at a recent Zoo to You Outreach event hosted by the Goddard School of Ponte Vedra.
The event was a prime example of the types of programs Goddard School offers children in order to use real-life experiences as teaching tactics, said Elizabeth Scott, who along with her husband Trey recently opened Goddard School Ponte Vedra.
“It’s all child-led play,” Scott said. “The children learn by experiencing and playing and things of that nature, so this is a good representation of some of the outside vendors we bring in to do that with them,” Scott said.
The school, which is located at the site of the former Childtime daycare building at 45 Executive Way, opened its doors July 13. The Ponte Vedra location is the greater Jacksonville area’s fourth location for The Goddard School For Early Childhood Development, part of The Goddard School, Inc. franchise. GSI was founded more than 25 years ago with the first school location in southeastern Pennsylvania and has grown to more than 400 locations nationwide.
The preschool offers a year-round program Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. that is open to children ages six weeks through pre-K. The school has a capacity of 145 full-time students and is about 92 percent occupied, Scott said.
A grand opening celebration will be held Saturday, Aug. 6 from 10 a.m. to noon. The family-friendly event is open to the public and will give parents a chance to tour the school. Face painting, a balloon artist, a putt-putt course, magic show and food vendors are all part of the planned activities.