Welcome to The Melbourne Preschool! In our early childhood learning center, you will find a vibrant community of educated, experienced, and creative individuals who make up one of Brevard’s top Preschools- as voted in Florida Today’s Best of Brevard 2023. It is our belief that it takes a village to raise a child, and our teaching approach reflects this philosophy. We offer exceptional early education through our play-oriented and hands-on curriculum that focuses on the creativity and individuality of each student. We have found that this kind of active education, and collaboration with the community, best prepares our young learners for grade school and beyond. By sparking learning from a place of play, fun, and community, it grounds our students with a love of learning. In addition to our creative curriculum, homey-classrooms, and custom outdoor playgrounds, we also run a scratch kitchen to offer our students the freshest home-cooked meals while at school. It is our philosophy to not only nurture the mind, but the body as well. We serve exclusively local, seasonal, and fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as homemade breads and baked goods. This way, we can eliminate preservatives, dyes, and excessive salt or sugar that is often found in ready-made food. Come by the center to meet The Melbourne Preschool family, and discover the possibilities for your little ones to achieve academic success for today and tomorrow, because Lifelong Learning Starts Here.

The Ones (12 months to 24 months)

Our youngest classroom is all about exploration! As your little one begins to walk and talk, their drive to climb and touch to discover their environment increases exponentially. This classroom is set up for exactly what your toddler needs: play! With large, squishy gross motor blocks to climb on and build, a playhouse and kitchen for dramatic and imaginative play, a comfy-cozy library corner full of indestructible books, a music section for your little Beethovens and Mozarts, as well as centers for both child-led and teacher-led activities. At this age, some skills we teach and foster include eating with a spoon, drinking from a cup, mimicking sounds, how to follow verbal cues, and how to socialize with new friends. Curriculum: In The Ones class, our goal is to foster each student’s independence and imagination through play. For language acquisition at this young age, you will often hear singing, or walk by a dance party for developing gross motor skills and spatial awareness. Teacher-led activities include painting, coloring and crafting for tactical and texture exploration, story time, outdoor activities, summer water-play, as well as a plethora of many other nursery-based games.

The Twos

A step up in pace from The Ones class (which follows a more nursery-like curriculum), our Twos classroom is energetic and packed with activities to best meet the evolving needs of your toddler. The Twos keep a busy schedule- with Circle Time for songs and stories to encourage language acquisition, arts and crafts for creative stimulation and fine motor development, as well as outdoor play for physical exercise and honing of gross motor skills. We keep busy with our hands, bodies and minds! This classroom is packed with toy centers designed specifically for your toddler: a dramatic play area complete with kitchen, baby dolls and costumes, as well as a block and cars area, a quiet-corner library, music, puzzles, and teacher-led centers including art, science, and Circle Time. The most popular center in this class is without a doubt the gross-motor play area: squishy mats with colorful oversized foam blocks for jumping, building and being your best two-year-old self! For outdoor play and exercise, a playground was custom-made just for this age group. Curriculum: In The Twos class, our teachers have three main goals for their students: language, independence and social skills. Teachers encourage language through introducing new words and songs, foster independence such as eating lunch with a spoon or drinking from a cup, and learning how to clean up our toys after we’ve finished playing. Social skills are learned through daily experiences like sharing and playing with friends, lining up to go outside, or eating a meal together. A big milestone achieved in this class is potty-training! Teachers will work closely with parents to facilitate potty-training, so each student is confident and prepared to move up to the next class.

The Threes

Three years old is the time where academics and imagination collide- and our classroom has been designed around this philosophy. Key features of The Threes classroom include an ever-rotating variety of table-toys and manipulatives to foster fine motor skills, as well as the largest dramatic play area of any classroom: including a mini-living room set for 6, kitchen, handyman workbench and full housekeeping area complete with costumes. The curriculum here shifts away from physical independence and bodily control, and pivots towards more cognitive and academic activities. Lessons in this class are designed to challenge students, to expand their base vocabulary, problem-solving skills, reasoning and imagination. A more structured Circle Time is introduced to fire up each student’s mind to create a foundational love of learning which they will carry with them throughout their future education and in life beyond school. *Due to the academic nature of the curriculum in The Threes, students must be potty-trained to participate in this program.

The Fours (Pre-VPK)

This preschool program is designed for students who require a more academically challenging environment, and for students who are not yet old enough to join our Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) program. In The Fours, our teacher works closely with our VPK instructors, to mirror the skills needed so our students transition seamlessly to Pre-Kindergarten the following August. Curriculum: This classroom revolves around increasingly advanced problem-solving activities and imaginative play. Circle Time becomes more complex and varied, with songs tailored to language, math skills and memory. Students will begin to refine their motor skills by writing letters with a pencil, color inside the lines and practice using scissors- all essential skills in VPK. Spanish is also formally introduced in this curriculum.

Our Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) program was built around a philosophy you may have already heard: “It takes a village to raise a child”. At The Melbourne Preschool, we pride ourselves on not just the quality of our VPK program, but the methodology as well. From petting farms to senior citizen story times, community outreach days and a musical Graduation show, our VPK program prepares students for grade school in the best way possible: by learning through firsthand experience and investigation, and incorporating self-directed learning skills to ignite one’s innate curiosity. Our VPK curriculum focuses on the whole child: academics, socialization, emotional growth, problem-solving skills, cooperation, fine and gross motor skills, as well as physical wellness through play and nutrition. A variety of academic subjects are covered in our VPK curriculum throughout the school year, including: Mathematics, Science, Cooking, Reading and Writing, Creative Arts, Music, Media exploration, Physical Education (such as Yoga and organized outdoor games) and Spanish. Our community outreach days include specialized lessons from: Librarians, Astronomers, Musicians, members of the Melbourne community such as Police Officers, Firemen, Veterans, Dentists, Seniors, and many others. Parents and guardians of VPK students are always welcome to volunteer their time in this classroom, as we believe the beautiful diversity of our community helps to enrich and shape the minds of our young learners. The ultimate goal of our VPK Certified teachers’ is to foster a love of learning and curiosity in your student. With the combination of our experienced teachers, and unique and creative VPK curriculum, students receive a well-rounded and holistic education: better preparing them for the faster-paced rigors and social atmosphere of grade school. Our VPK program includes all materials needed for the school year, as well as lunch from our scratch kitchen. We take our job seriously of not only nurturing the mind, but the body as well. We serve exclusively local, seasonal, fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as homemade breads and baked goods. This way, we can eliminate preservatives, dyes, and excessive salt or sugar that is often found in ready-made foods. Come by the center to meet The Melbourne Preschool’s VPK team, and discover the possibilities for your student to achieve academic success for today and also tomorrow, because Lifelong Learning Starts Here. *This program runs from mid-August to mid-May

Rebecca & Alex Arsic - Owners

In addition to his Bachelor’s degree in Child Studies, Mr. Alex also holds a Master of Arts in Educational Studies from Concordia University. He has over 20 years of experience in the field of education, and is everyone’s go-to for policy, procedure, and continuing education. Mr. Alex’s research on self-directed learning in the classroom was published in 2014, and he brings this unique and child-centered educational philosophy to the curriculum at The Melbourne Preschool. He also serves as The Melbourne Preschool’s liaison for local and state-wide organizations, including the Melbourne Regional Chamber of Commerce, The Early Learning Coalition (ELC) of Brevard, Florida’s Department of Children and Families (DCF), and the T.E.A.C.H scholarship program for continuing education. Fun facts: Mr Alex is completely bilingual, fluent in English and French Miss Rebecca holds a Bachelor’s degree in Child Studies, and has 15 years of experience in the field of education. She is The Melbourne Preschool’s pedagogical supervisor, overseeing curriculum, training and lesson planning. In addition to her career in education, Miss Rebecca earned her graduate degree in Communication Studies from Concordia University, and so in additional to her pedagogical work, she also runs The Melbourne Preschool’s social media, website, and marketing. Miss Rebecca is a direct partner with the federal USDA Child Care Food Program (CCFP) in order to elevate and maintain the standards of the local scratch-style kitchen we run at the center. You’ll often find Miss Rebecca reading stories to classes by her favorite children’s author Robert Munsch, and orchestrating the spring VPK Graduation show. Fun fact: The mural in the main hallway was painted by Miss Rebecca in 2018.

Odalis Bravo - Director

Miss Odalis is The Melbourne Preschool’s front of house. If there is anything you need, or any questions you may have, Miss Odalis is ready to help. She has been working in early childhood education in Brevard for almost 30 years, and brings her experienced touch to The Melbourne Preschool. Miss Odalis graduated from Eastern Florida State College with her Florida Child Care Professional Credential and Director Credential. For the past 15 years, she has been directing and managing early childhood centers- lending her talents in maintaining exceptional standards, friendly customer service and team leadership. Together with her Assistant Director, Miss Odalis is always available for scheduling parent-teacher meetings, tours, or assisting parents with any needs they may have. Fun fact: Miss Odalis is completely fluent in English and Spanish.

Our Team

Each teacher at The Melbourne Preschool brings their own individual teaching style to their classroom, while structuring lessons under the umbrella of The Melbourne Preschool’s play-oriented and hands-on curriculum. Our teachers are trained to tailor their teaching to best align with each student’s strengths to facilitate an environment where self-directed learning is encouraged, guided, and fostered. All our members of staff, including teachers, management, our chef and janitor have been carefully background screened at both the state and federal levels. Many of our teachers hold a Childcare Development Credential (CDA), Associates degree or Bachelor’s degree, in addition to the DCF and First Aid training requirements for early childhood educators in the state of Florida. In three words, we would describe our close-knit team of teachers as enthusiastic, loving and quirky!

Irma the Bunny – Mascot

In 2017, a rabbit was found outside the school after Hurricane Irma. When no one claimed him, Miss Rebecca and Mr Alex took him home. A teacher named him “Irma” after the storm, and he became The Melbourne Preschool’s mascot. Irma visits the center for special occasions, and makes social media appearances for his adoring fans on Facebook and Instagram. When he’s not at school, he spends most of his days digging up Mr. Alex’s garden.

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