By providing students with the materials and guidance to find their own answers to questions, the Goddard School works to build their confidence through learning. Currently, the school is welcoming students up to 6 years old.
The franchise’s newest location had its grand opening on April 17, and is located at 215 Souder’s Way in Souderton.
According to on-site owner Kristin Stanton, the teachers focus on getting children to gain a “magic and wonder” from learning.
“We present questions on a weekly basis, and then we give them the materials and the activities in order to explore the questions,” Stanton said.
Goddard School Director of Operations Cheyenne Bohn said the school follows a curriculum called “Wonder of Learning.”
“We’ve really thrived with building that relationship [with learning] through play,” Bohn said. “We let the kids just explore on their own in the classroom.”
Stanton said that when working to find a location for the new Goddard School, Souderton seemed to be the perfect fit.
“We’ve really known the area very well, and have watched it build up over the years,” Stanton said, “and it’s just such a welcoming, nice area, it was an obvious choice.”
For Souderton Connects Manager Jessica Cimini, once she found out that the Goddard School was coming to Souderton, she did anything she could to help.
“I can help them with anything they might need to get the word out about them coming while the building is happening,” Cimini said. “Typically, Souderton Connects always tries to welcome new businesses with ribbon cuttings, to let local businesses know that they’re here, as well as the community.”
For Stanton, one of her goals is to build that community around the school by focusing on the children and families.
“My intent is not only to make friendships for the children, but it’s also to create events for the families. So that not only are they becoming friends with each other, but their families are becoming friends,” Stanton said. “Trying to create that social network and that feeling of support and relationships is really important.”
Souderton Athletics Director Dennis Stanton said the Goddard School can build that social network by creating a culture within the school.
“If you create a positive culture, people are going to come,” Dennis said. “If you create a positive culture amongst the staff and amongst the kids, then it’s going to attract other people.”
According to Bohn, she agrees that focusing on the families is very important, as well as connecting with the community.
“We want to start reaching out and doing events, and just really connecting with everybody here, and all the different businesses,” Bohn said.
Dennis said he sees the national brand of the Goddard School benefiting the community.
“The Goddard School is a standard of excellence when it comes to childcare,” Dennis said. “So bringing that to the Souderton community can only enhance the other businesses in the area, but also enhance the community.”
Cimini said that the Goddard School’s goals align with the Souderton Connects’ mission to bring businesses in and keep them in the town.
“When businesses are here, and people are coming here, a lot of times they want to move here and be closer,” Cimini said. “In turn, everyone who has a child of a certain age needs a daycare. So it’s a very cyclical relationship.”
Stanton said that, as the school grows, she hopes to increase their occupancy, as well as gain certifications from the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services and the Department of Education.
“All of that just comes with having the right people in place, showing that you have a strong curriculum and just passing the test for both of those boards,” Stanton said.