3 Minutes on a Park Bench with Adela Taboada of Primrose School of Ashburn

We spoke to Patch partner Adela Taboada of Primrose School of Ashburn and Primrose School of Ashburn at Broadlands and she explained the curriculum at Primrose Schools.

Patch: How did you get into teaching or education?

Adela Taboada: I started my career as an educator in the mid-80s. After college, I worked in several corporate positions, but my true calling was teaching. I sought positions that would allow me the opportunity to fulfill my dream. I started teaching young children and over time I became a math teacher for high school seniors. In almost 30 years as an educator, I have had an opportunity to experience a great deal and realize the importance of early education. It is in the early years that children develop their life-long love for learning, good studying habits and character.

Patch: What is your favorite event at the school?

Adela Taboada: We have a lot of events that celebrate national holidays (such as our 4th of July activities), diversity (Parade of Cultures), the seasons (Spring Fling Family Carnival, Pumpkin Patch), and, of course, birthdays and special occasions for the children. My proudest moment is, without a doubt, graduation. We have the graduation of our Pre-K and Kindergarteners in June. I always cry when delivering my speech. It is so emotional for me to see the little children, many of whom started with us as babies, full of pride and happiness as they see the satisfaction in their parents. It is a magical event.

Patch: Can you tell us a little bit about the curriculum?

Adela Taboada: My husband and I, once we decided that we wanted to have our own schools, looked very hard for the different options available to us, from opening our own independent school to purchasing an existing operation to affiliating ourselves with a franchise. We did visit a lot of schools and corporate headquarters for national chains. Primrose absolutely blew us away with their systems and commitment to early education.

Primrose’s educational system is called “Balanced Learning.” This is a proprietary system developed in-house by the educational department of Primrose Schools. Primrose’s team includes PhDs in education and an advisory board comprised of experts in early education and child psychologists. Balanced Learning is a research-based system based on the top educational philosophies: Montessori, Vygotsky, Erikson, Piaget. The best tenets of each philosophy were incorporated into Balanced Learning and Primrose built from there, incorporating a comprehensive system that includes age-appropriate character development (such as compassion, solidarity, truthfulness, and so forth), physical activities and, of course, education.

Balanced Learning is constantly being updated. What goes into a particular classroom today is not the same that went into it last year. Our teachers receive a monthly detailed curriculum that outlines the educational outcomes expected from every activity, the necessary support materials and assessment methodology. Before releasing each month’s curriculum, Primrose’s Education Department tests and examines the details of the curriculum at their pilot school at their headquarters in Georgia; once they are satisfied with the outcomes, the curriculum is released to all our schools. The latest iteration of Balanced Learning includes a strong STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) component. We have invested heavily in new support materials to bring STEAM into our classrooms. No other early education school in Northern Virginia comes close to this level of quality and commitment to the education of our youngest children.

Patch: What was the best advice a teacher ever gave you?

Adela Taboada: To be compassionate. When teaching young children, it is very important to understand that young minds are being molded. Showing compassion to the child and to others sends a strong message that the child will model. The young brain develops rapidly and almost to its fullest in the first five years of life. We need to remember this and exercise patience, kindness and compassion when teaching our youngest. This is actually something that I learned myself very early in my teaching career.

Patch: Can you tell us about the school's history?

Adela Taboada: Primrose Schools was established in 1985. My husband and I became franchisees in 2008 and opened our Ashburn school in 2012. Our newest school in Broadlands opened early this year.

We were the first Primrose School in Northern Virginia and the D.C. suburbs. We worked very, very hard to spread the Primrose message and to get the brand known in this new market. At the time, Primrose had over 250 schools across the country, but none in the D.C. suburbs. We pioneered the Primrose brand and what it stands for in our communities.

Patch: How are you involved in the Ashburn community?

Adela Taboada: We are very involved. We do support many charities such as the Smashing Walnuts Foundation (fighting children’s brain cancer) and Journey-For-A-Cure through our annual Spring Fling Festival. Spring Fling is a family carnival event where all the proceeds benefit a local charity and a national charity (such as Save The Children and Reach Out and Read).

In addition, we donate and participate in events with our local volunteer fire departments, several of our homeowners associations and St. Theresa Catholic School, among others.

Patch: What three questions should parents ask to find a reputable school for their child?

Adela Taboada: Can you show me your educational system and its strengths? How do select and train your teachers? Can I speak to an enrolled parent?

Patch: What makes the Primrose School stand out?

Adela Taboada: The differences are so vast that it becomes very apparent when parents tour our school. From the quality of our curriculum, to our carefully selected and trained staff, to the quality of our food (designed by professional dieticians) and the commitment of our management. The Primrose School of Ashburn and the Primrose School of Ashburn at Broadlands are personal achievements and responsibility of my husband and me. We are at the schools every day, we oversee every aspect of the operation of the schools, we make sure that the children receive the absolute best, not only in education, but care. We are absolutely committed to being the best in Northern Virginia, and we are proud to say that since we opened in 2012, our school has been recognized every year as a top institution for early learning by the community and several local publications. We were even selected as Best Service Business of 2014 by the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce.

We are proud of our achievements, but we wake up everyday with the goal to make our schools better in every aspect. Our children deserve no less.

Patch: How can readers contact you or learn more about Primrose School of Ashburn?

Adela Taboada: You can reach our schools at:

Primrose School of Ashburn

44830 Lakeview Overlook Plaza

Ashburn, VA 20147

Phone: 703-724-9050

Email: info@PrimroseAshburn.com

Web: www.PrimroseAshburn.com

Primrose School of Ashburn at Broadlands

21367 Shale Ridge Court, Broadlands, VA 20147

Phone: 703-724-4200

Email: info@PrimroseBroadlands.com

Web: www.PrimroseBroadlands.com

Photo via Primrose School of Ashburn