In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Jeff Bezos announced the opening of his first network of non-profit, “Montessori inspired” preschools which will be located in Des Moines, Washington. The single-room school will open on October 19 and can accommodate around a dozen of 3 to 5 year old kids. Bezos Academy, which is open year round, five days a week, will follow Coronovirus safety protocols outlined by Washington state officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Forbes: The schools will be inspired by Montessori, a method of education where curriculums are more hands-on, collaborative, and change based on the individual student’s own interests
According to Forbes, the preschool will have a year-round curriculum, five days a week, for children 3-5 years old. According to the Bezos Day One website, the team selected to put the preschool in Des Moines, a town to the south of Seattle based on income levels, rates of participation in free and reduced-cost meal programs, gaps in access to license childcare providers, and buy-in from local businesses who will support the growth of the preschool.
The schools will be inspired by Montessori, a method of education where curriculums are more hands-on, collaborative, and change based on the individual student’s own interests.
The network of preschools will operate under the parent nonprofit organization, also called Bezos Academy.
Business Insider India: The mission of the Academies Fund was to create a network of preschools in which “the child will be the customer.”
Bezos said the school is “the first of many free preschools that we’ll be opening for underserved children”, as mentioned by Business Insider.
The mission of the Academies Fund was to create a network of preschools in which “the child will be the customer.” The schools will be directly operated by Bezos’ fund, which “creates an opportunity to learn, invent, and improve” upon early childhood education, according to the fund’s website.
