Preschool for Gifted and Telented Child in Grand Prairie, Texas

We live near 360 and camp wisdom and have both of our daughters in Kidd Academy - one is 4.5 yo and the other is 2. We have been there for 2 years now and are VERY pleased. They arent G&T specific but their curriculum is so amazing that they really dont need special programs. My kids have so much fun their and their teacher turn around is almost non-existant (msot often one of the teachers has a baby and is out for a little bit). They are family owned and just do such a wonderful job! The director was a career pediatric nurse and is very good at meeting any special needs your kids have. When we first started it was about 6 months after my daughter had a TBI from a nasty car accident and they did such an amazing job accomodating some special requirements we had for her care. I really do think it is a quality school and will be a little sad to leave them once both of my girls "graduate" to kindergarten.

ONe a side note, I am in nursing school at UTA and my husband is from South Korea - :) small world!

Good luck on your search (Kidd Academy is just south of Camp wisdom on lakeridge and their phone # is ###-###-####)

R. K.

Children's University is in Arlington off of I-20 and Park Springs. It is an amazing pk-6th school. The children tend to study 1-2 grades ahead of their peers.

Maybe try going up to the elementary school located nearest to you and see if they have any recommendations. You might even see if they can test her. I'm not sure they will with her not actually going to school there but you can try. Just be aware that what parents see as GT isn't always what the school system sees as GT.
Good Luck
C.

Although i personally think the "gifted and talented" label is overused, if you have a daughter who is bright, curious, and self-motivated, I strongly encourage you to consider a Montessori school. I am not familiar with any in your area, but i'm sure a google search will turn up a bunch.

Y.,
My daughter also attends Children's University and it is a great private school. It is quite pricey, but the kids do study 1 year ahead. I wouldn't label my daughter as G&T because that is just a parent's opinion. Your daughter may be bright and curious, but that doesn't necessarilly make her gifted. Try some of the schools in the area and let them decide what level she is at and what class she belongs in. Parents always think the world of their kids, but trained professionals may not see it that way. That's just my opinion. Good luck.

My oldest son needed a more advanced curriculum than what I could find anywhere in Arlington or Grand Prairie, so I investigated every school within a reasonable driving distance. We ended up moving him to Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth. I wish that we had started him there in kindergarten. They gave him a top-notch education (he's at Rice University now).

The teachers at TVS are very well-educated themselves, the student body is multi-cultural, they have a great fine arts program, and they consider themselves one big family. It's expensive, but worth it. TVS is not designed to be a school specifically for the gifted and talented, but because they have a quicker pace and a very advanced curriculum it is very well-suited for gifted children. My son was never bored there, and he had to really put in some work, whereas, it was very easy for him everywhere else.

If your daughter advances more quickly than the other children in her classes, and driving to Fort Worth is possible, then consider that school beginning in kindergarten. They don't have a pre-K program. Montessori would probably be great for a child like yours for pre-K, or for longer.

Hello Y.!

I too have a very intelligent child. Her birthday is in November and she'll be 6 this year. I sent her to a private school for Pre-K during the middle of the year they moved her up to Kindergarten. So this year she started in 1st grade even though she's only 5.

I live in Lancaster. I know her school has another location off of Illinois but I don't think there is one in Grand Prairie. Sorry!

Take care!

I agree with Montessori schools. My 5 year old has been in Montessori since she was 2 and when she stared Kinder this year, she was reading writing and doing simple arithmetic. Her teacher just called yesterday to say they want to move her to 1st grade for reading and math. In true Montessori classes, the child works at his/her own pace on activities of their choice. The teacher acts as a facilitator to the child's curiosity and does not have a one size fits all assignment for all of the children. They will also often mix age groups so there are older and younger children working together on projects and teaching each other. My daughter went to Ameen People Montessori off of Cooper St. right next to UTA in Arlington. They did a great job with my oldest and my 2 year old just started there this year. The school is run by Muslims but they welcome people from all backgrounds and do not push religion or even teach it in class. They do have an optional Koran class but my daughter never attended as we are not Muslim. The religion was never an issue and it was very beneficial for my daughter to go to school with a wide mix of cultures and people. I can't recommend the experience enough.