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LAPLACE — Birth through age 5 are the most crucial years in a child’s brain development and can build a strong foundation for lifelong learning, health and success, according to the CDC.

Bre Hayes of Little Harvard Learning Academy in LaPlace believes children are like sponges. By absorbing knowledge and positive messages at a young age, they will be better equipped to face the world as adults.

Children at Little Harvard Learning Academy are taught to keep their chins up and heads held high. They know that chivalry is not dead and that mistakes are okay because each one is a learning experience.

Little Harvard opened Jan. 27 inside the historic church that sits across from John L. Ory Elementary at 181 W. Fifth St. in LaPlace. The daycare/preschool facility will remain open for service as schools are closed for coronavirus concerns.

During this time, Little Harvard is accepting school age children up to second grade and taking the usual precautions to ensure the building is sanitized. Staff will assist children with homework packets, tutoring and more between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Lunch and healthy snacks will also be provided. Please call 985-224-2271 for more information on these childcare services.

Little Harvard Learning Academy is typically open to children ages 1 to 4, in addition to 5-year-olds who had birthdays after the kindergarten cut-off date. Older children are always invited to aftercare for homework help and tutoring. There are plans to implement peer tutoring with high school honor students.

Hayes has worked in a few daycares around the River Region, and she saw a need for more than what was being offered. In 2019, she started a daycare and preschool service out of her home. The service quickly grew, and she began remodeling the W. Fifth Street Church in October to allow more space for learning.

Hayes is certified to teach up to 83 children. She currently teaches approximately 40 students.
“I treat everybody’s kids like they are my own. Parents will never not see a smile on my face,” Hayes said. “I want the children to learn and parents to know their kids can do anything they put their minds to.”

Each morning, children repeat the following affirmation: “I believe that I am special. There is nobody else like me. I’m proud to be different. If I think I can, I can. I choose to make today a great day. I have great ideas. Mistakes are okay. They help me learn.”

Hayes believes in letting children get messy — she can teach them that red and yellow make orange, but they won’t understand until they mix the paint together and see for themselves.

Little Harvard Learning Academy is also unique for its CHARM school, a program that teaches poise, grace and etiquette. Children learn table manners, and the little boys learn to hold the door open and pull out chairs for the little girls in the class.

“I had three children as a teen, and I really didn’t know how I was supposed to be treated, what I wasn’t supposed to be settling for or how to say no,” Hayes said. “I teach girls that they are princesses and the boys are princes. At every age, we have to give respect to get respect.”

Tia Brown has a 6-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son, and she went through three daycares before finding the perfect fit in Little Harvard Learning Academy.

“Compared to other daycares, it’s one-of-a-kind,” Brown said. “Ms. Hayes is a blessing to all of our kids. She is so tenderhearted, and she took care of my kids like they are her own.”

Dominique Harris sends her 3-year-old daughter to Little Harvard Learning Academy, and she is amazed by the knowledge she comes home with. In the past couple of months, she’s heard her toddler explain that lightning is electricity in the sky, that a caterpillar becomes a chrysalis and the difference between omnivores and herbivores.

“She knows her numbers in Japanese and her colors in Spanish,” Harris said. “They really learn a lot about science. Ms. Hayes is one of the best. I love how my child is coming home. Go on Facebook and look at the videos she has. You’ll be impressed.”

Teaching bigger vocabulary words is important because of the increasing number of children who face speech delays, according to Hayes.

Classrooms are grouped by age, and activities are developmentally appropriate. Children work on a theme each month and work on a specific color, shape, number and letter every two weeks.

“Once we are done, I want them to know it,” Hayes said. “They will be able to recognize color, know it in Spanish, and spell it.”

By introducing a movement and sound for each letter, such as saying “mmm” and rubbing stomachs for ‘M’, or popping lips with a “puh” for ‘P’, children learn to sound out words.

Little Harvard Learning Academy has an app that allows parents to keep up with their child’s learning with pictures, video and private messaging.