Faith-based preschool to open in Winter Garden

A new, faith-based preschool is ready to open its doors in Winter Garden.

All Kidz Preschool, an extension of 1 Foundation Ministries, is now enrolling children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old. Located at 1130 E. Plant St., Winter Garden, All Kidz Preschool will focus on creating a firm educational foundation for the children it serves.

Its mission is to provide an exceptional learning environment that will foster each child’s intellectual, social, physical and moral development in a fun environment. Through 1 Foundation Ministries, those involved are focused on building people up through a common foundation — their faith. All Kidz Preschool Director Felicia Lee said the school is a continuation of this vision.

“It is faith-based, and we’re basically wanting to appeal to an audience of people that are really interested in best-care practice for the family,” Lee said. “We’re wanting to just not reach the kids, but the family and also the community within the scope of having the preschool. We plan to do morning devotions in which the parent and loved ones will participate ... if they happen to be available. We also plan on doing the VPK program this coming August to kind of expand from where we’re at.”

All Kidz Preschool has Florida League of Christian Schools accreditation and qualified staff with public school teaching experience, childcare certifications and licenses, and CPR and first-aid certifications. 

The overall goal is to instill in each child a social and educational foundation that will help them transition into school. 

At All Kidz Preschool, staff and volunteers know it takes a village to raise a child — and to get the school up and running. Recently, a group of teenage girls serving through Girl Spirit came to the school to paint fun murals and works of art on the walls — a truly spirited environment for teaching and enriching the lives of children.

“A lot of times, people think of a preschool as a place for kids, but it’s actually a community commodity with values that go beyond the walls,” Lee said. “We take pride in intentional effort to bring in people that will impact in different ways. You can see the art, you can see the love of people from different ages who will be attending. It’s amazing. Those are teen girls, and they are connected through some of the foundational members. 

“It’s really a work out of the heart of the civic responsibility to take care of a community at large,” she said. “We want to reach the community in different ways and bring people together. That was really fun.”

All Kidz Preschool still is hiring staff and enrolling children, and Lee said the team hopes to open next month. If all goes to plan, they also will expand to offering a VPK program this fall.

“(We’re) just really looking to provide a level of care that causes the center to be talked about,” Lee said. “Whenever you have a labor of love ongoing for any group of people … we just really want to make a positive impact on that foundational time of their lives and the lives of the families of the children that are coming to be served.”