The staff of the new Little Springs Kinder Center, which will exclusively serve transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten students, is preparing to officially open its doors this fall, reported Deanna Bereiter, site facilitator. The school is located at 510 W. 2nd Street in Corona, formerly the site of the Corona Student Center, which has relocated to 2115 Compton Avenue, Corona.
The establishment of the Kinder Center, Deanna said, “allows us to tailor our entire environment to early childhood development.” The curriculum is “highly structured but deeply interactive,” she added, “inspired by a blend of Montessori and Reggio Emilia philosophies, alongside the core Springs approach. This beautiful combination nurtures hands-on, collaborative, and child-led learning rather than unstructured free time.”
The Kinder Center will feature six distinct zones at the site, with students rotating through classroom zones that focus on: ELA, STEM, music and movement, art and dramatic play, outdoor learning, and a sensory and calming corner.
Each zone is designed to offer a tactile, immersive learning experience. Starting school can be an “overwhelming” transition for four- and five-year-olds, Deanna believes, so by separating them from the larger 1–8 campus, “we fill a critical community need: a safe, specialized, micro-environment designed entirely for early learners. It bridges the gap between home and elementary school by offering a gentle, play-based, yet academically rich foundation where young children aren’t overshadowed by older students.”
The three programs offered include: Da Vinci (5-day seat-based), Mosaic (hybrid), and three days on campus and two days of home study. Sixty students are pending approval for the inaugural class.
