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Career-Minded Preschool Teaches 2-Year-Olds the Ropes of Business

By Camille Bautista | January 18, 2017 5:24pm
 At the Preschool of Business in Bed-Stuy, kids can learn about a variety of careers and industries.
At the Preschool of Business in Bed-Stuy, kids can learn about a variety of careers and industries.
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Preschool of Business

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — A new Brooklyn preschool serving kids ages 2 to 4 is offering children a glimpse into careers in healthcare, construction, fashion and more.

The Preschool of Business at 571 Putnam Ave. launched in the fall with the goal of exposing kids to different fields, while still teaching reading skills, math and social studies.

Each month emphasizes a specific industry and children are able to dress up in wardrobes representative of the career.

For instance, January is dedicated to healthcare, and kids are outfitted in their own lab coats to mimic doctors, according to Preschool of Business managing director Geneva Gee.

“It’s about the experience,” Gee said. “It’s awesome to have this curriculum where you’re teaching them everything, but if they can connect the dots to meaningful experiences, it’s going to have a greater impact on their lives.”

Weeks are divided into specific careers — in the first week of January, kids are doctors and nurses, the next week they’ll learn about dentists, followed by EMTs and veterinarians.

Children practice addition and subtraction with objects from the chosen industry, such as learning math with Bandaids, Gee explained.

Students have already focused on industries like hospitality, during which they visited local bed and breakfasts in Bedford-Stuyvesant, as well as stopping by a community garden for agriculture month.

“That’s where the uniqueness of it comes,” she said. “We’re still doing math, science, technology, all the basic things you’d do in a curriculum, only focused on a theme.”

Angelica Vasquez, whose two children attend the daycare, said she’s already seen a change in her son after he started attending this month.

“The teaching they’re doing is in a fun manner that the kids are just absorbing it all so quickly,” she said, adding that her kids are looking forward to veterinarian week where they can take their fish and dogs to the doctor.

“I couldn’t ask for more. They’re teaching them that they’re strong, smart little people and they can figure it out. It has enough structure and enough love and enjoyment that it’s the perfect balance.”

The Preschool of Business serves kids between two to four years old, and the group family daycare at the Putnam Avenue residence near Marcus Garvey Boulevard holds up to 12 children.

The managing director hopes the organization can expand to a center in the future, she said, and it already has a dedicated group of parents that help host fundraisers linked to each month’s theme.

Gee, who also operates nearby daycare Bed-Stuy Kids, said she hopes the Preschool of Business helps bring the community together for the greater good of the children.

“We are hoping it brings people closer, we’re here for each other,” she said.

“It’s exposing children to industries that they might not have even considered, and showing them there are so many different things that can be done.”