About Us
Beehive Philosophy
As a child’s first teacher, parents play an important role in a child’s experience at Beehive. Parents and teachers at Beehive are guided by the following beliefs about children and learning:
- Each child develops and matures in a unique way.
- Each child’s uniqueness should be accepted and respected by himself/herself and others.
- Every child needs to experience success and find support in failure.
- A child’s self-discipline grows when given freedom within limits.
Educational Mission
Beehive’s education mission is three-fold:
We seek to nurture the whole child. Beehive provides a variety of experiences to meet the intellectual, social, emotional and physical needs of children.
The program is designed to foster positive feelings towards school so that children will leave the program eager to continue learning in both formal and informal settings.
Because parents attend Beehive with their children, parents demonstrate to their children the value they place on education and encourage a lifelong habit of learning.Beehive provides parents with opportunities to increase their knowledge about child development and improve their parenting skills. This is accomplished through making the books in our Parent Library available, scheduling parent meetings and guest speakers, and interacting frequently with other parents and Beehive staff.
Goals for Children
Through interaction with the physical and social environment at Beehive, children will:
- Form a healthy self-concept
- Develop problem solving skills
- Cultivate critical thinking skills
- Become astute observers of their own surroundings
- Use their innate curiosity to develop an understanding of the world through their senses, their feelings, and their intellects.
Our Teachers
Julie Miller (Pre-K Class Teacher) grew up all over the US and overseas. She studied food systems management and business at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. After spending a year in New Mexico, she moved to Boulder, Colorado, and completed her Elementary Education certification. She then moved to Austin, Texas, and spent eight years working with preschoolers before making her way to Beehive.
Lisa Gale (Director) grew up in rural Fort Bend County. She received a BA in Economics and Early Childhood Education from The University of Texas and completed her post-graduate work in Elementary and Early Childhood Education at Sam Houston State University. After teaching in public and private schools, homeschooling her own children and co-creating a variety of both traditional and non-traditional, holistic learning environments for children at home and abroad, she made her way to Beehive. She loves its community spirit and family engagement!
Elizabeth Jammer (Preschool Class Teacher) grew up in England and has lived in Houston for eighteen years. As a teenager, she volunteered with the YMCA youth corp and in classrooms helping teachers. After starting her family, she went to work in HISD at Red Elementary with special needs children. Later, she transferred to Kolter Elementary to work as an assistant in the early childhood program. Eight years later, she made her way to Beehive to begin a new adventure!
Who Thrives at Beehive
* Someone with a healthy sense of self. Parents with emotional maturity, who know their strengths and weaknesses add immeasurable value to Beehive. Parents imprint their own sense of well-being onto their children and impart to the rest of us a healthy, shared way of being together.
* Someone looking to make a contribution. Parents who are willing to give and share their valuable resources of love, time, support, gifts and talents. Beehive is a dynamic learning environment because of the unique offerings each parent makes, and it’s exciting to witness these unfolding each year as our community grows.
* Someone who is reliable. Parents have many demands on their time. At Beehive, we count on each other to show up on time, present and ready to engage with our learning community.
* Someone who is adaptable. Every day brings new adventures, and we count on each other to navigate through them with as much openness, fun and joy as we can bring to the monumental experience of early childhood.
* Someone who is loving & open to connection. We simply love being together at Beehive. The real magic that happens in our community comes through the love shared by parents, teachers, and children alike.
* Someone who welcomes growth. Parents who are seeking personal growth in both their parenting skills and as community members bring inspiration to everyone’s experience. Knowing the balance between listening and speaking up takes practice, and this is important to encourage a thriving community of learners.
About NAEYC
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a wonderful organization that promotes developmentally appropriate, play-based learning for children. With academic pressures filtering down to preschools, it's organizations like NAEYC and Gessel Institute that hold higher standards for children's care and well-being. Beehive supports NAEYC's mission wholeheartedly, and has chosen to allocate resources to more growth oriented endeavors. Beehive has always and will always demonstrate high value for children's development through a nurturing, play-based learning environment. We are currently invested in developing a more STEAM oriented and Reggio Emila inspired curriculum.