New Neighborhood Preschool: Exploration Academy

(Wallyhood welcomes Rachel Feldstein to our writing corps! She’ll be covering kids-related issues and whatever strikes her fancy.)

Have you ever noticed a gaggle of little kids tethered together, exploring the neighborhood?  If so, you’ve likely seen the students from Exploration Academy, a new Wallingford preschool.

I had the opportunity to tour the school last week and chat with the director, longtime Wallingford resident Michelle Warren.  She opened Exploration Academy in Wallingford Center last fall because it “seemed like the perfect location to provide exceptional care and service to children and parents in my community.”  Working with an architect, she converted a former storage space into a bright, modern preschool facility.

Michelle has taken full advantage of local businesses and services to provide students with unique Wallingford-centric experiences, including:

• The option of lunches from Chutney’s Bistro (located across the hall in Wallingford Center)
• Tae Kwon Do classes four days a week at Jae Hun Kim Tae Kwon Do Center
• Music performances every other week by Doug Fleming Jr., who also performs at Izilla Toys
• Weekly fieldtrips in the neighborhood (past trips have included a visit to Molly Moon’s Ice Cream Shop and the deli and seafood counter at QFC)
• Walks to Wallingford Playfield, and this summer, visits to the wading pool
• Class photos taken at Mud Puddle Club Photography, located down the hall in Wallingford Center

Michelle is also working with Sutra Yoga to offer yoga classes to students.

She hopes to expand Exploration Academy into the space next door to the preschool (formerly Wallingford Photo Center) to provide daycare services in addition to the preschool program.  The school is in the process of adding an outside play area on the west side of the building, where Michelle plans to install additional play structures and a permanent covering.

For more information on the program, please review the description in the daycare/preschool section of this blog.