Little Acorns Education Center

Little Acorns is a licensed family daycare that offers a Montessori inspired curriculum and organic meals!

We are child oriented, child initiated, and teacher supported. We believe all children learn best through hands-on experiences. Our curriculum is Montessori inspired and focuses on developing independence, confidence, and empathy. We offer developmentally appropriate experiences that engages each individual child. Each child will be empowered to make their own choices, become self-confident, and guide their own learning.

We believe play is a child s work and strive to allow for ample uninterrupted blocks of time for each child to build their skillset. We look for and cultivate those teachable moments that randomly present themselves throughout our day.

Little Acorns places a strong emphasis on independence and free choice. Children are encouraged to explore their environment freely and become contributing members of our community. A number of our daily activities will be designed to encourage the Montessori concepts of self-help and independence. We value the core ideals of Montessori and offer a number of Montessori materials and lessons alongside inspiration from Reggio-Emilia.

Here at Little Acorns Learning Center, we truly value the process over the product. We encourage and facilitate creative play and activities. In practice, this means offering open-ended materials as often as possible. Children are presented with materials and are encourage to freely explore and create.

Alyssa Szuma is the owner and fulltime director of Little Acorns Learning Center. She is a mother of two young children. Her educational background consists of: Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential, Associates in Child Care from Washtenaw Community College, Bachelors in Children and Families from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and a Master s in Public Administration from the Keller Graduate School of Management. Her work experiences include teaching in classrooms, a private nanny, and a Child Protective Services caseworker for the State of Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Alyssa's interests include holistic living and reading. Further information regarding Alyssa's educational and professional background is available upon request.