At Learning Cube Academy, the school mascot, Zo the elephant, helps children process emotions by modeling age-appropriate behaviors.
When you step into Learning Cube Academy, you'll be greeted by vibrant colours, children's drawings and class photos, creating a welcoming and learning-friendly atmosphere.
Learning Cube Academy (LCA) is a private preschool run by Veena Kashyap and Chaitra Giridhara.
Both have extensive teaching experience.
Giridhara grew up in a family of teachers: her father was an English professor at the University of Mysore in India, and her mother founded the school that bears her name. Giridhara volunteered at schools and eventually worked in banking before enrolling in college. After moving to the United States, Giridhara returned to teaching, first as a volunteer and then as a substitute teacher for about seven years.
With nearly 35 years of teaching experience, Kashyap began teaching English and Maths while in college. After working in customer service, Kashyap returned to education, teaching students of all ages from preschool to middle school. Kashyap also has experience running academic institutions, including kindergartens and learning centers in India.
“I was pretty clear that I wanted to do something,” Kashyap says, “but this time I wanted to do it with a partner, otherwise I wouldn't have even gone down this path. So I've always wanted to do something and I've always been exploring, so I was always looking for an opportunity.”
Kashyap suggested to Giridhara that they open a kindergarten together. With the encouragement of their families, they decided to go for it. After purchasing the space in March 2019, the school underwent renovation work for about eight months, and finally, LCA opened in January 2020.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Kashyap and Giridhara had to scrap their plans and start again. They moved their students online and recorded videos to teach students remotely. They were able to teach students all over the world, from India to Amsterdam. As the pandemic continued, they were able to incorporate remedial classes, math, English, and even art into the curriculum.
LCA finished the 2023-24 school year with 56 students, with 46 students attending summer camp this year. The 2024-2025 school year will begin with 25 students, but numbers could grow as the school accepts enrollment year-round.
LCA maintains the curriculum they developed earlier online and delivers everything face-to-face. LCA values adaptability and works to the unique requirements of each child. They do not operate as a rigid institution, but rather adopt best practices, philosophies, and methodologies to guide their students.
“A lot of learning is done through play,” says Giridhara, “We have manipulators for everything so there are enough options for children to learn. Some kids are visual learners, some are purely auditory learners. We train our teachers that way. They understand how a child learns within the first week or two because not all children are the same. Our teachers are very loving.” [teachers] We build trust through love and care and the children feel very secure knowing that they are safe and happy here.”
“Our core values are the three R's: respect, responsibility and relationships,” Kashyap says. “We respect each other regardless of age and treat each other as individuals, not as people of different ages. We take responsibility for the content we teach. [students] We teach them that it's okay to make mistakes and to learn from them. And we value relationships, the community with individuals and teachers. That's our core value. We really value that, and that's what sets us apart.”
Through LCA, Kashyap and Giridhara learned not only teaching methods but also human resource management and applied it to their daily lives, but most importantly, they were able to be a part of starting children’s learning journey and have a profound impact on their development.
” [the students’] Life and [seeing] “It was amazing for me to see how they change from the beginning of the year to the end,” says Giridhara. “They grow so much emotionally and they learn so much. They're only around two or three years old, but the way they change is totally different and that's what made me stay in this field and not stray. I think that's why I didn't go back to other jobs.”
Learning Cube Academy is located at 3425 Ashington Lane.