Shelby Lulay has big dreams for her newest endeavor, a preschool she calls, Little Country School, in Aumsville.
“I would like to impact the community in big ways,” she confirmed. “But right now, I’m just starting out.”
New to business ownership, Lulay is not, however, new to teaching.
“This year is my twentieth year working with children,” she said. “My degree is in psychology and family studies, but my focus point was on early childhood.”
Starting her career by volunteering in an elementary school at 19, Lulay went on to intern at Family Building Blocks in Salem and then, more recently, to teach at a cooperative preschool where both her children were attendees.
“I was in the classroom with them every day and I loved it,” Lulay recalled.
But last year, with her two children in elementary school, Lulay found herself looking for a way to get back into the classroom full time. That’s when she learned Sweet Country Sprouts, with a prominent location on Main Street, was for sale.
“I bought it in August and took it over in September,” Lulay said. “So, I had a week because I wanted to lessen the impact on the families.”
Reopening with a new name and a fresh coat of paint, Lulay hit the ground running, teaching both a morning class of six students and an afternoon class of five.
“We do have some children getting ready to go to kindergarten,” Lulay said of her students, whose ages are between three and five. “So, in the morning we provide a more academic experience.”
But that is not to say that the rest of the day lacks opportunities for learning. Rather, Lulay – whose intentionally small class sizes allow her to create an individualized program – weaves learning into every activity.
“I tend to be play-based and child-led,” Lulay said. “And I’m extremely passionate about books and reading. That’s one of my primary tenets.”
And it’s the basis for her curriculum, which involves focusing on a different letter of the alphabet each week.
“I tend to think in themes,” Lulay said, describing how she is utilizing the week’s letter, D, to teach a unit on dinosaurs in a hands-on way.
“The most amazing thing about children is how they absorb [knowledge],” Lulay said. “They really learn from doing. I give lots of time for play – imaginative play and art. And I balance the program to meet the needs of the children.”
She’s also interested in meeting the needs of the community. And so, she has recently begun expanding the school’s programming to include Individualized “early learning experiences” – two-hour childcare slots – school-aged art classes, birthday party rentals, date nights and – coming soon – toddler time.
“What I want to do with this is offer to the community what I needed when my kids were young,” Lulay said. “I want to create a really high-quality program.”
Little Country School
905 Main St., Aumsville
Enrollment: students aged three to five in either morning sessions from 8 to 11:15 a.m. or afternoon sessions from 12 to 3:15 p.m.
Individualized Early Learning Experience: prearranged two-hour intermittent childcare on Mondays and Thursdays from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and Fridays upon request.
School Age Art Classes and Date Night events: schedule listed on Facebook
