EXCERPT FROM: Fox 9 News
By Dawn Stevens
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. - Arena Early Learning Center in Brooklyn Center started because of growing demand from parents who worked second and third shifts. The daycare caters to kids 24 hours a day and has extra security.
The President Antonio Smith has a passion for working with kids, and knew he had to work with their parents too. While they are at the center, there's a strong focus on enhancing learning readiness.
He has teachers with masters degrees in literacy and bachelors degrees in early childhood education. The goal is to get the infants ready to be toddlers by working on muscle memory, the toddlers ready for preschool and preschoolers ready for kindergarten with the alphabet, numbers, and social development. Soon kids will be able to learn on a smart board that's coming to Arena in a couple of months.
Becky Hentges is a mom who works 11-8 every day. Her 6 year old daughter Katie has been coming to the center for 4 years. Becky feels Katie is safe and in good hands, but is amazed by the education her daughter gets at Arena. Becky says, "My daughter was coming home teaching me things that I didn't know. She knew sign language, she knew how to speak Spanish and I knew that at the end of the day I was comfortable going to work and I knew she was being well taken care of."