The four Self Development Academy campuses across the Valley are well known for their well-rounded, accelerated curriculum that’s propelled its students to advanced high school programs and Ivy League colleges, but the schools’ success began with Self Development Preschool in 1988.
It was the preschool that led to the creation of the charter schools, thanks to parents’ demand for expanded programming from founder Dr. Anjum Majeed. The application of the same principles has allowed both programs to continue to be successful, with growth and national recognition.
“The way we teach and the diversity of courses that we offer at the charter schools are all based off of the preschool,” explained Sami Majeed, chief of schools at Self Development Academy.
That diversity helps to develop intelligent, empathetic and culturally aware children who are prepared for vigorous learning in the next step of their education.
The curriculum at Self Development Preschool includes holidays and traditions, shapes and colors, and counting, as well as more advanced subject matters such as art, poetry, geography and even logic.
“We make sure that we make it as well rounded as possible and we want to celebrate all of the elements of what it means to be human,” said Sami. “We’re not just teaching letters, numbers and poetry. We are teaching math and science, but we’re also teaching music and movement together.”
This forward-thinking approach to preschool helps set the tone for a child’s entire education, showcasing the importance of early education.
“A head start in education can really make a huge difference in academic performance later on,” said Sami. “We want to make sure all the neighborhoods and communities that we are serving also have the opportunity to benefit from our early childhood programs that we offer.”
Because of the importance of early childhood education, Self Development Academy plans to continue bringing these preschool programs to other parts of the Valley where it’s launched charter schools.
“We want to provide the neighborhood and the communities with preschool and early childhood education so we can prepare them for our education model at the charter schools,” said Sami.
Aside from the curriculum, Self Development Preschool has dedicated teachers, with many of its teachers staying with the school for over 20 years. In addition, the beautiful campuses are optimized for learning and exploring.
Self Development Preschool offers several programming options to make it easier for parents to enroll their children, from ages two to five.
“We have lots of options,” said Dr. Anjum. “We have all-day and extended day programs for the working parent who not only wants an accelerated preschool like ours, but also need help with extended hours. They can bring them as early as 6 a.m. and pick them up around 6 p.m.”
To enroll, parents are encouraged to take a tour of the school as soon as possible as space in the program fills quickly.
Self Development Preschool is located at 1721 N. Greenfield Road in Mesa. For more information, or to set up a tour, call (480) 396-3522, or email info@self-dev.com.