BRYANT, Ark. — Starting in the new year, a Bryant daycare owner said children there won’t be in a classroom anymore.
Times are changing and the owner of Connect Academy for Children, Brooke Plack, is keeping up.
"The world that we work in today is so different than our parents,” said Plack. "Why are we keeping our kids in these tiny little classrooms?"
Plack is ditching the traditional classroom setting to open up more opportunities for children.
"They can learn their colors, numbers, and squares, but there's tons of ways to learn those things and that doesn't have to be off of a worksheet or a poster in a classroom,” said Plack. “That social and emotional development is so important."
Instead of being in one classroom, kids will now rotate through different activities based on their age group, essentially opening their minds to more learning experiences, such as the arts, music, and technology.
"My daughter absolutely loves her teacher,” said Laura Worden, a Connect parent.
Worden said change can be scary, but thinks this change will help her three year old daughter, Eve, advance at her own specific pace.
"It seems like teachers will be able to work with them more, depending on where they are at in their level of development,” said Worden.
Plack hopes the new plan creates a solid foundation, preparing her kids for the workforce beyond just Kindergarten.
"Really start to push the envelope and say, 'is keeping them in one spot in one space what's best? Or do we need to have them ready to learn and adapt no matter what environment they are about to go into?'” said Plack.
The Connect Academy for Children changes go into effect at the start of the new year, once the business opens its new facility in Bryant.